Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department and non-departmental public bodies receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As a legally compliant employer we do provide healthcare benefits where we have a legal obligation to do so imposed by The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). This means that where staff transfer with their work into the Civil Service then we are legally obliged to match their terms and conditions and these might include travel allowances and subsidised health insurance No staff in the Department currently receive a home to work travel allowance, a car allowance or subsidised health insurance, which compares to the position before 2010 where fewer than 5 staff received subsidised health insurance. The number of staff in the Department for Transport’s non-departmental public bodies who currently receive a home to work travel allowance, a car allowance or subsidised health insurance is shown in the table below:  Home to work travel allowanceCar allowanceSubsidised health insuranceNumber of staffless than 5less than 512 Where there are less than 5 staff receiving these allowances we are not releasing the number to ensure they cannot be identified.

M67: Lighting

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects Highways England operatives to attend to the day burning street lamps on the M67 between Denton and Hyde in Greater Manchester.

Andrew Jones: There was a fault in the lighting mechanism along the M67 Motorway. To ensure that the lighting was fully operational overnight, Highways England has attended to the lighting mechanism and temporarily bypassed the defective component. As a result, the lighting columns were temporarily lit both during the day and night. Highways England returned the lighting to its correct hours of operation on 15 February 2016.

Transport: Graffiti

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was to the public purse of graffiti removal across the (a) Highways England and (b) Network Rail networks in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The Highways England does not separately identify the exact annual cost of removing graffiti from its road signs and structures, as this forms part of a wider contracted service which includes a range of maintenance activities. Network Rail spends more than £3.5 million a year removing graffiti. This spending is devolved to local teams and it would involve disproportionate cost to retrieve exact annual expenditure. However, there is no reason to expect significant annual variations.

Airports: Transport

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the costs of (a) travel by road and train to airports in the UK and (b) airport parking.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In terms of train costs and airport parking, I refer the Right Hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question on 9 February 2015, UIN 25274 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=25274. In terms of travel by road within the UK, decisions on taxation, including fuel duty, are a matter for HM Treasury.

Airports: VAT

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with people who run airports on excessive VAT charging in retail outlets based in airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport meets regularly with airport operators and the issue of the treatment of VAT in airside retail shops has been reviewed. The Chancellor announced on the 31 December 2015 a review into airport sales to make sure VAT savings are being passed on to shoppers. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment at this stage whilst HM Treasury is undertaking this review.

Driving Tests

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the numbers of driving examiners in England on waiting times for tests; and what steps he is taking to encourage more examiners to qualify.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) undertake quarterly test forecast reviews to identify the likely demand of driving tests, from which it calculates the numbers of examiners required in order to service those demands. Those numbers are reviewed against the current examiners numbers and where increases are identified, these are factored into DVSA’s recruitment campaigns. DVSA usually run two recruitment campaigns per year, with additional campaigns where necessary i.e. where there has been insufficient take-up/success in geographical areas. This process has, over the years, generally worked well, but the unforeseen and exceptionally high increase in demand for driving tests in 2015. Across the whole of DVSA it has recruited 167 new driving examiners during 2015/16 with a further 60 either attending or booked on to new entrant courses. DVSA has also offered posts to a further 40 potential examiners. DVSA has also been re-prioritising the activities of examiners and offering them additional overtime in order to increase testing capacity.Over 2015 DVSA introduced a number of changes to the marketing of its recruitment campaign in order to try and encourage interest from wider and more diverse groups, additionally DVSA undertook two targeted campaigns for motorcycle examiners and LGV examiners.

Driving Tests

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average wait for driving tests is in each English region.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency records its data in four regions, which are; Scotland and North England, Central England and North Wales, South Wales and South West England and London and the South East. The average waiting times in January 2016 for these areas are listed below.   Scotland & North EnglandWaiting time in weeksJan-16Average Car Waiting time8.4Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time1.3Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time2.1Average Voc Waiting time7.9Average ADI 2 Waiting time7.2Average ADI 3 Waiting time7.1Average Taxi Waiting time8.0  Central England & North WalesWaiting time in weeksJan-16Average Car Waiting time8.4Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time1.3Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time2.1Average Voc Waiting time7.9Average ADI 2 Waiting time7.2Average ADI 3 Waiting time7.1Average Taxi Waiting time8.0 South Wales & South West EnglandWaiting time in weeksJan-16Average Car Waiting time8.7Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time3.6Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time2.1Average Voc Waiting time5.7Average ADI 2 Waiting time5.7Average ADI 3 Waiting time7.8Average Taxi Waiting time7.6 London & South EastWaiting time in weeksJan-16Average Car Waiting time7.5Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time1.5Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time1.5Average Voc Waiting time3.3Average ADI 2 Waiting time3.8Average ADI 3 Waiting time3.3Average Taxi Waiting time3.4 NationalWaiting time in weeksJan-16Average Car Waiting time8.4Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time2.7Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time2.4Average Voc Waiting time5.3Average ADI 2 Waiting time5.5Average ADI 3 Waiting time5.9Average Taxi Waiting time6.7

Driving Tests

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the pass rates in driving tests were in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not record pass rates for each constituent part of the UK. Pass rates by test centre are published on GOV.UK.

Bus Services: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to funding of bus services on the provision of those services.

Andrew Jones: Decisions about the provision of bus services requiring subsidy remain a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. The majority of public funding for local bus services is from the block grant that local authorities in England receive from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, my Department also provides around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities to help deliver bus services.

Cycling: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Access Fund he expects to be spent on cycling in each year to 2020-21.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 15 February 2016, we announced that the new Access fund would be launched for 2017/18, and would be preceded by a £20m Sustainable Travel Transition Year for 2016/17. I am able to confirm that all bids will need to demonstrate links to cycling and walking to successfully secure funding. I am not yet able to confirm how much of the Access fund will go towards cycling and walking initiatives, as the formal Access fund has not yet been launched and funding has not yet been allocated.

Cycling: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18101, at what stage he plans to be able to predict the geographical distribution of funding for cycling outside of London and the eight cycling ambition cities; and what steps he is taking to identify that geographical distribution.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Due to the inclusion of devolved funding when reporting on overall cycling expenditure, spend is usually reported in terms of regions. Currently, spend on cycling is £6 per head across England compared to £2 per head in 2010, with spend of £10 in London and the eight Cycle Ambition Cities. Further details of funding programmes will be set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy to be published in summer 2016.In the meantime, where funding is already allocated then the geographic distribution is known. Where funding has been subject to formula then the geographic distribution will be known at the point the formula weightings are determined. Where funding is allocated by competition, then the geographic distribution will be known at the point the results of the competition are announced. Where funding is devolved, then its geographic distribution is a matter for the relevant local body.

Transport: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce details of the new Access Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 15 February 2016, we announced that the new Access fund would be launched later in 2016 for delivery in 2017/18, and would be preceded by a £20m Sustainable Travel Transition Year for 2016/17.

Transport: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans for there to be a period between the Local Sustainable Transport Fund ending in March 2016 and the commencement of the new Access Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 15 February 2016, we announced that there will be a transition year between the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and the Access fund. The Sustainable Travel Transition Year will take place in 2016/17, with the Access fund being formally launched later in 2016 for delivery in 2017/18. This transition year will enable the Department time to publish the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS); to work with the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) to understand the future approach for the Local Growth Fund; and to identify the highest value for money approach to supporting investment in sustainable travel.

M60: Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to include additional road surface noise reduction measures, a sound barrier and home noise insulation measures in the contract specifications for the M60 smart motorway extension through Denton.

Andrew Jones: The M60 Smart Motorway project near Denton is currently in its early design stage and the scope and boundaries of the project are still being defined. By the nature, of this type of project, Highways England expect that the scheme will mostly be within the existing motorway footprint. This could include a quiet road surfacing or sound barriers. However, any compensation arrangements will be the same as for all such improvement schemes. If properties in the nearby area of the scheme qualify for noise insulation under the Noise Insulation Regulations, then appropriate offers will be made. The environmental impact will be assessed as part of the design and any necessary actions will be considered during the detailed design. One year after the completion of the scheme, local property owners may apply for compensation under Part I of the Land Compensation Act 1973 and such claims will be assessed under the terms of that Act.

M60: Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he expects residents adjoining the M60 in Denton to qualify for monetary compensation for the extension of the smart motorway scheme.

Andrew Jones: The M60 Smart Motorway Project near Denton is currently in its early design stage and the scope and boundaries of the project are still being defined. By its nature of this type of project, Highways England expect that the scheme will mostly be within the existing footprint. Any compensation arrangements will be the same as for all such improvement schemes. If there is a requirement to purchase land then the owners of that land can expect to be appropriately compensated. Similarly if properties in the area of the scheme qualify for noise insulation under the Noise Insulation Regulations, then appropriate offers will be made. The environmental impact will be assessed as part of the design and any necessary actions will be considered during the detailed design. One year after the completion of the scheme local property owners may apply for compensation under Part I of the Land Compensation Act 1973 and such claims will be assessed under the terms of that Act.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 18 November 2015 to Question 16782 and of 11 December 2015 to Questions 19723 and 19724, if he will estimate how many miles of local authority road are in poor structural condition in England.

Andrew Jones: I refer the Hon Member to my previous answers to Questions 16782, 19723 and 19724. http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=16782 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=19723 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-12-11/19724/

Cycling: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015, which cycling programmes his Department plans to fund from the £300 million fund for cycling for 2015-16 to 2020-21; and what other funding for cycling to which cycling programmes his Department plans to fund over that period.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will set out the Government’s plans for investing in cycling and walking. Otherwise, at the Spending Review the Government reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking by committing to investing over £300 million over the life of this Parliament. This includes delivering the Cycle City Ambition scheme in full, a new ‘access’ fund for sustainable travel and our Road Investment Strategy for 2015-20 which includes plans to improve 200 sections of the road network in England for cyclists. We will also provide 1.3 million children with cycling proficiency training through the Bikeability scheme. Over this period, other Government funding streams will contribute to cycling. Through the Local Growth Fund, an investment of at least £270m is planned by local enterprise partnerships for cycling infrastructure. Local authorities could also use sums from the £1.3bn Integrated Transport Block to 2019/20 for cycling schemes. It should also be noted that spending on road maintenance can benefit not just motorists but can also lead to improved conditions for cyclists, and a record £6.1billion is allocated to local highway authorities between 2015 and 2021 for road maintenance.

Driving Tests

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased waiting times for driving tests for young drivers on (a) failure rates and (b) increased travel time and cost to examination centres.

Andrew Jones: Any comparison between waiting times and failure rates would be highly subjective as the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no way of excluding other factors. DVSA also cannot identify the motivation of candidates choosing test centres for their practical test; therefore, DVSA is unable to assess what the costs would be.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Sheffield

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference in cost between locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and locating it in Meadowhall.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference between the current and original cost estimates of (a) locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and (b) locating it in Meadowhall.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria in which Network Rail was involved.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on ensuring that High Speed 2 stations should be located where they can deliver maximum impact on public investment.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of additional jobs and (b) amount of additional housing resulting from a Meadowhall High Speed 2 station location.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of additional jobs and (b) amount of additional housing resulting from a Victoria High Speed 2 station location.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what methodology his Department used to determine that the proposed Sheffield station should be at Meadowhall and not Victoria; and whether that methodology has been independently verified.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre. The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost. When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including; engineering and construction feasibility;sustainability;demand considerations, including journey times;cost; andwider impacts Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website. Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units. Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region's study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of agricultural land lost to UK farm production as a result of the construction of High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Approximately 2,750 hectares of agricultural land is permanently required for Phase One of HS2. 4,800 hectares will be taken during the construction period, but much of this will be returned to the existing agricultural condition following construction. A detailed assessment of the amount of agricultural land required for future Phases of HS2 will be undertaken alongside the deposit of the relevant hybrid Bills for these phases.

Public Transport: South East

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to expand London's transport zones to include (a) Spelthorne constituency and (b) other new areas inside the M25 orbital that do not use the oyster system.

Claire Perry: The Travelcard map, showing the zone in which each station falls, is set out as part of the Travelcard Agreement between the Train Operating Companies and Transport for London (TfL). Any changes to station zones must be proposed by a signatory to the Agreement and then agreed by the remaining signatories. The government is not a signatory to the Agreement and therefore has no role in proposing such changes to station zones. Once a change is proposed by TfL and the Train Operating Companies, the Department for Transport can approve or reject the change proposals. This decision is made by the Secretary of State for Transport, on the basis of a business case and other wider policy and initiatives that may be considered at the time. If the proposal does not represent good value for money, it would be unlikely to get approval. It would be inappropriate for the Government to promote or back any proposals outside of this established process. In the current rail franchising contracts there are commitments for train operators to bring forward proposals to extend Oyster and Contactless to Swanley, Epsom, Hertford North, Luton Airport Parkway and Welwyn Garden City. The Secretary of State will consider these proposals on their individual merits when they have been developed and submitted in accordance with the process set out above.

Department for Transport: Meetings

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 23952, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2010.

Andrew Jones: Departmental Ministers and officials have held meetings with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2010, but the precise number is not calculable.

Railways: Fares

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2014 to Question 215333, what amount was paid to Transport for London in relation to the decision to raise Transport for London rail fares by the retail price index in January 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport compensated Transport for London (TfL) in full for the projected impact on their revenues of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s September 2014 announcement on regulated rail fares. The Department did this by paying TfL an additional £43 million, spread over two financial years (£7m in 2014/15, and £36m in 2015/16), by means of a variation to their core grant (the GLA transport grant, paid under section 101 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999). This followed consultation with HM Treasury and with the Greater London Authority.

Crossrail Line: Sanitation

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned availability of toilet facilities is (a) on Crossrail trains and (b) at Crossrail train stations.

Claire Perry: The Elizabeth line, being constructed by Crossrail, will be a high-frequency metro-style train service, and will carry an estimated 200 million passengers a year. The vast majority of journeys will be of a short duration and on board toilets would take up a significant amount of space. It is therefore not intended that toilets will be provided on the new trains as these would displace approximately 600 passengers per hour. 80 per cent of stations on the Elizabeth line will have toilet facilities.

Network Rail: Assets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the value of Network Rail's Regulated Asset Base in respect of the (a) Anglia, (b) LNE and East Midlands, (c) LNW, (d) Scotland, (e) Southeast, (f) Wales, (g) Wessex and (h) Western Network Rail routes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Claire Perry: This information is published online in Network Rail’s regulated accounts[1]: Regulated Asset Base as at 31 March 2015(14/15 prices) £mRAB value - regulatory routeRAB value - management routeAnglia4,1814,181LNE9,296East Midlands2,768LNEEM12,064LNW11,83411,834Scotland5,3185,318Kent4,496Sussex2,933South East7,429Wales2,7442,744Wessex4,1064,106Western5,3535,353Total53,02953,029[1]http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/regulatory%20documents/regulatory%20compliance%20and%20reporting/regulatory%20accounts/nril%20regulatory%20financial%20statements%20for%20the%20year%20ended%2031%20march%202015.pdf

Travel: Concessions

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to data table BUS0842, published in Department for Transport Statistics, what guidance his Department gives to travel concession authorities for reporting purposes on the definition of commercial youth concessions.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport’s annual Concessionary Travel Survey asks the following question in relation to commercial concessions available to young people, of which there is specific guidance repeated below: Question 19: Do the main bus operators in your authority / scheme offer commercial concessions to young people in 2015/16?This question concerns commercial concessions only i.e. those controlled/managed/funded by a bus operator. We are aware that you may not know of all the youth schemes offered in your area, but any information you can supply here does offer us a useful starting point for gathering further information from operator websites. If possible please specify the name of the operator, the age group (e.g. 16-18) covered, the fare charged (free, half, flat), time period (term-time only/all year, 8.30-10.30) and any other relevant information. You will have an opportunity in Q21 to tell us about any youth schemes that your Travel Concession Authority (TCA) controls/manages/funds.

Roads: Suicide

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26134, what the reason is for the difference between the data series given in that Answer in relation to suicides and suicide attempts on the Strategic Road Network and the data given in the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19015 asked by the hon. Member for Huddersfield; and if he will update the figures given in the Answer of 15 December 2015 to include the number of suicides and suicide attempts on the Strategic Road Network in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016 to date.

Andrew Jones: The difference in the data given is due to the ‘Command and Control’ database, used by Highways England to record all incidents on the Strategic Road network, being reconfigured in April 2013 to improve the consistency of the data recorded. This has led to improved accuracy, particularly when logging types of incidents and the method for recording ‘suicides’ or ‘attempted suicides’ was also adapted. In 2015 there were 790 incidents logged as suicides or attempted suicides.In 2016 – from 1st January to 21st February – there have been 120 such incidents.

Railway Stations: Income

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what income, by category of payment, Network Rail received from each of its directly managed stations in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Claire Perry: This is commercially sensitive information belonging to Network Rail.

Department for Transport: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of his Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of the Department’s undisputed invoices for goods and services paid on time is set out in the table below, and published at https://data.gov.uk/dataset/department-for-transport-prompt-payment. The Department paid over 95% of its total invoices within 5 working days in the first three quarters of 2015/16. The data is not currently broken down by private companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),FY 2015/2016OrganisationPercentage of invoices paid within 5 days.Percentage of invoices paid within 30 days.1st quarterDFTc87.50%97.80%1st quarterDVLA95.00%100.00%1st quarterDVSA97.60%100.00%1st quarterHighways England97.40%99.80%1st quarterMCA71.90%92.70%1st quarterVCA96.00%98.80%1st quarterGroup Total95.00%99.30%2nd quarterDFTc87.80%98.30%2nd quarterDVLA94.70%100.00%2nd quarterDVSA99.00%100.00%2nd quarterHighways England97.20%99.80%2nd quarterMCA72.80%95.20%2nd quarterVCA98.00%99.60%2nd quarterGroup Total95.20%99.40%3rd quarterDFTc91.30%99.00%3rd quarterDVLA84.80%100.00%3rd quarterDVSA99.70%100.00%3rd quarterHighways England98.80%99.90%3rd quarterMCA80.50%96.90%3rd quarterVCA98.30%99.60%3rd quarterGroup Total97.60%99.70% In 2014/15, 32.2%1 of the Department’s direct and indirect procurement spend was through SMEs, and 48%2 of the Department’s direct suppliers were SMEs. The Department does not currently hold data on the number and value of contracts with SMEs. SME spend information is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482638/Publication_of_1415SpendUpdate__1___1_.pdf. 1 Figures exclude Network Rail, which was reclassified during 2014/15.2 Figures exclude any direct suppliers whose size is unclassified.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the long-term financial sustainability of councils with low council tax bases.

Mr Marcus Jones: In reaching the funding decisions announced at the recent Spending Review, the Government had regard to a wide range of issues that might impact on local government over the spending period. The analysis took into account a range of financial and economic factors as well as changes in demand.When allocating funding through the local government finance settlement, the Government has taken into account the resources available to local authorities including the ability of authorities to raise funding locally through Council Tax.The Government has made it clear that redistribution of funding between local authorities will continue under the 100% business rates retention system, to be brought in by 2020. The redistribution system will take into account differing Council Tax bases. The Government will hold a Fair Funding Review to consider the appropriate funding needs of different types of areas.

Council Tax

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to merge local authorities with a low council tax base with neighbouring higher base councils to ensure financial sustainability and service provision.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has no plans to make local authorities merge with one another. However, the Government has been clear that it will listen to proposals made by local authorities for reform that lead to more effective governance arrangements.We are making huge strides towards rebalancing the economy and empowering local government through the devolution of powers away from Whitehall. The strength of the devolution agenda is in its localist nature: local leaders know best what their area needs and we are committed to giving them the tools to drive growth.The Government will undertake a review to devise a new formula to assess councils’ needs and provide fair funding for every type of local authority, ahead of the introduction of 100% business rates retention by the end of this Parliament.

Local Government

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on reducing the number of (a) metropolitan district councils and (b) councillors in metropolitan counties with a combined authority and metro mayor.

James Wharton: The Government invited areas that wanted to negotiate a deal devolving major powers to come forward with written proposals by 4 September 2015. It is for local areas to propose governance structures that are right for them, including electoral changes that are wanted locally. Discussions continue with local areas on the precise arrangements to be put in place in areas to deliver deals.

Metropolitan Districts: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the Local Government Boundary Review will next consider the (a) ward and (b) councillor arrangements in the metropolitan districts within Greater Manchester.

Mr Marcus Jones: Whilst this is a matter for the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England, I understand that the Commission plan to begin a review of Manchester City Council in the summer to address high electoral variances across wards in the city.

Housing Associations: Rents

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with housing associations on reducing or removing Government control over rent setting.

Brandon Lewis: In order to control the housing benefit bill, the Government is reducing social housing rents by 1% per annum over the coming four years to 2019-20. The Government has constant and on-going dialogue with the sector and lenders. We will consider rent setting policy from 2020 at future fiscal events.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with housing associations on flexibility in the time allowed to spend capital receipts from Right to Buy.

Brandon Lewis: Under the terms of the historic voluntary agreement between the Government and the sector, the Government will compensate housing associations for the value of the Right to Buy discount. In return, housing associations will deliver at least one additional new home for each home sold nationally. They will have flexibility in relation to the tenure and location of the additional homes built. It is a mutual objective to ensure that additional homes would be delivered as quickly as possible. The aim is to deliver the new properties within two years. The historic grant portion of any receipt released by the property sale will go back into the Recycled Capital Grant Fund. Under the current rules for that Fund receipts must be spent within three years or returned to the Homes and Communities Agency.

Council Tax

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in council tax on living standards in each income decile.

Mr Marcus Jones: Council tax schemes are set by local councils who are also responsible for local council tax support schemes. Local councils know the local demographics, and have designed their own council tax support schemes to reflect these. Between 1997-98 and 2010-11, the average Band D council tax in England more than doubled. However, since 2010, council tax in England has fallen by 11% in real terms, and electors can hold councils accountable at the ballot box for any excessive council tax rises. The Department has not made any assessment of the effect of any increase on living standards.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many official visits he has made to local authorities since May 2015 where the primary purpose of the visit was in connection with the Northern Powerhouse policy.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



As part of my Ministerial duties I visit local authorities across the country, including regular visits in connection with the Northern Powerhouse.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has spent any money on advertising the Northern Powerhouse policy since May 2015.

James Wharton: There has been no advertising spend by the Department for Communities and Local Government on the Northern Powerhouse policy since May 2015.

European Regional Development Fund

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the European Regional Development Fund on economic growth.

James Wharton: My Department has not carried out a recent estimate of the effect of the European Regional Development Fund on economic growth.

European Regional Development Fund

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of exit from the EU on his Department's work on the European Regional Development Fund.

James Wharton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Floods: Cumbria

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27055, what the Government considers to be the date of first damage by floods in Cumbria during December 2015.

James Wharton: 5 December 2015.

Floods: European Union Solidarity Fund

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to apply for assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund to help flood-affected areas.

James Wharton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave in the House on 25 February 2016 to the Urgent Question on the EU Solidarity Fund.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Guided Weapons

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he had made to his counterparts in (a) the US, (b) China, (c) France and (d) Russia on the recent ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s satellite launch of 7 February, which used ballistic missile technology in clear violation of a number of UN Security Council Resolutions. We are working closely with our international counterparts, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, to ensure significant and substantive measures are agreed in response to the DPRK’s repeated provocations. In addition, we continue to work with international partners to ensure existing Resolutions are implemented effectively.

Islamic State: Yazidis

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on steps being taken to rescue Yazidis being held hostage by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

Mr Philip Hammond: We hold no specific information on steps being taken to rescue Yazidis being held hostage by Daesh in Syria and Iraq. However, Yazidi hostages have been freed by the Peshmerga during recent offensive operations against Daesh. We are also aware of media reports of organisations who are working to free those being held hostage.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many freedom of information requests were (a) granted and (b) refused by his Department in each of the last five years.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) submits statistics on freedom of information performance to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis. These statistics, along with those of other departments of state, are published in a quarterly statistics bulletin (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics). The quarter four bulletin includes annual figures.The FCO annual figures for 2010-2014 are shown in the attached table.



FCO Annual FOI Figures 2010-14
(Word Document, 17.01 KB)

Libya: Politics and Government

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic progress he has made in delivering a peaceful transition in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK continues to play an active role in supporting the Libyan dialogue facilitated by the UN. The signing of the Libyan Political Agreement in Skhirat, Morocco on 17 December was a significant step forward. The Agreement sets out the process for establishment of a Government of National Accord (GNA). We continue to work with partners in the international community to encourage the Libyan parties to implement the Agreement in full.The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for the GNA. In October, we hosted a meeting with the UN and international donors and agencies to discuss plans for coordinated support from the international community to the GNA. This has been followed up through UN-hosted coordination meetings in Tunis. We stand ready to work with the international community to deliver a significant package of support to help a Government of National Accord to achieve a stable and prosperous future for all Libyan citizens. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I both spoke recently with Prime Minister designate Serraj and also with UN Special Representative Kobler to underline the UK’s continued support for the GNA process and UN efforts in this area.

Moldova: Politics and Government

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the political situation in Moldova on stability and security in that region.

Mr David Lidington: A more stable, secure and prosperous Moldova is important for the stability of the European neighbourhood. The situation in Moldova was discussed by EU Foreign Ministers on 15 February.The EU Foreign Affairs Council concluded that the the current difficulties can be solved only via constructive dialogue among all political forces in the country, which takes into account the expectations of the people of the Republic of Moldova, and that tangible results on reforms are needed to restore trust.

Hungary: Politics and Government

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his EU counterparts the EU undertaking a rule of law procedure against Hungary; and what representations he is making to his counterparts on recent reforms by the Hungarian government.

Mr David Lidington: The European Commission said on 2 December 2015 that the conditions for starting a Rule of Law framework procedure against Hungary had not been fulfilled. The UK Government expects all member states of the EU to respect human rights, including freedom of speech and of the media, and to respect the rule of law.

Libya: Terrorism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government holds of terrorists linked to Daesh or Al Qaeda crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports in the public domain that terrorist groups, including Daesh, have an ambition to infiltrate migration routes from Libya. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Embassies: Christmas

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on Christmas parties hosted by British embassies and consulates in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and what estimate he has made of such planned spending in 2015-16.

Mr David Lidington: Information on the expenditure incurred for individual events is not kept centrally, so this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

UK Membership of EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on relations between the UK and Ireland.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Syria: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Russian airstrikes in Syria have breached international humanitarian law.

Mr Philip Hammond: We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Syria. The UK supports the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which is mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law including those that may constitute crimes against humanity in Syria with a view to ensuring perpetrators are held to account. In addition, the UK co-sponsored a UN Security Council resolution to refer all those who are alleged to be responsible for war-crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, regardless of affiliation, to the International Criminal Court. Russia and China chose to veto this resolution.

Israel: Bedouin

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Israeli government on the displacement of Bedouin people from townships in the Negev.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I discussed the Bedouin in the Negev with Head of the Joint List MK Ayman Odeh during my visit to Israel on 18 February. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are following developments closely, and we continue to encourage the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to work together to identify satisfactory solutions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Government's response to the Foreign Affairs Committee's First Special Report of Session 2015-16, published on 11 February 2016, HC816, when he expects the internal review of his Department to be completed; what the key priorities of his Department are on which that review will be focussed; and if he will publish the conclusions of that review.

Mr Philip Hammond: The internal review is expected to be completed in the Spring. Its remit is to advise on how the FCO can be more expert, agile and focused on the Department’s key priorities. I expect the review to set out a vision of the organisation the FCO should be by 2020. The review is internal. No decision has yet been taken on publication.

North Korea: Sexual Offences

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219046, what response his Department has received from Democratic People's Republic of Korea authorities; and whether progress has been made on improving North Korean women's rights in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: We continue to urge the DPRK authorities, through both our Embassy in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London, to respond in detail to the contents of the Commission of Inquiry report, including the violence and exploitation of women that it documents. The DPRK continues to reject the Commission’s findings and will not engage on the detail of the Commission’s report.Women trafficked out of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are among the most vulnerable of those who flee the country. We call on the DPRK to improve its appalling human rights record and create better conditions for its women. We regularly discuss our concerns about the DPRK with China, as I did with the Vice-Minister of the Chinese Communist Party, Chen Fengxiang, in December 2015. We will seek to include this issue in the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue due to be held in April. We also work directly with the Chinese authorities on a number of projects to counter human trafficking, which seek to protect the most vulnerable from exploitation, abuse, neglect and violence.

North Korea: Weapons

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK-owned tour companies that operate in North Korea contribute financially to that country's nuclear and missile programmes or to elements of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government responsible for human rights violations.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are aware of UK tour companies who operate in the North Korea. Given the closed nature of the regime there is very limited financial information from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) government on how their nuclear and ballistic missile programme or elements of the regime responsible for human rights violations are funded.

North Korea: Weapons

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which elements of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea  government fund or participate in that country's nuclear and missile programmes.

Mr Hugo Swire: This information can be obtained at the following web address: https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg840.aspx

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: NATO

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK staff worked at the Permanent Representation to NATO in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Hammond: The figures for UK staff, both from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, working at the UK Joint Delegation to NATO in Brussels during this time period are as follows: For 2014 to 2015 there were 38 UK staff members. For 2013 to 2014 there were 36 UK staff members. For 2012 to 2013 there were 39 UK staff members. As of 31 January this year there are 36 UK members of staff working at the UK’s Joint delegation to NATO.

UK Membership of EU

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to introduce legislative proposals related to the agreement reached on the UK's relationship with the EU at the European Council on 19 February 2016.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stephen O'Malley

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21380, what recent information he has received from the Danish authorities in relation to the death of Stephen O'Malley; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The State Attorney in Denmark has reached a decision to reopen Mr O’Malley’s case. The local authorities will now begin their investigation and consular officials will remain in contact with them for further updates.

Northern Ireland Office

Coroners: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the early release of Stormont House legacy funding to support legacy inquests.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Borders: Security

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the implications for border security arrangements of recent gangland-related murders in the Irish Republic.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: There are long-established and effective working relationships between the police and intelligence agencies of the UK and Ireland to mitigate threats in both countries. The UK Government takes protecting our border security very seriously and there is a high level of co-operation and on-going work with the Irish Government strengthening the external border of the Common Travel Area.

UK Membership of EU: Northern Ireland

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on security in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. ‘The best of both worlds’, published on 22 February, sets out how membership of the EU enhances our ability to co-operate with other EU Member States to combat crime and terrorism and keep all parts of the United Kingdom safe, including Northern Ireland. The paper is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-best-of-both-worlds-the-united-kingdoms-special-status-in-a-reformed-european-union.

UK Membership of EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with Irish Ministers on the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on security in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 25 February 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. ‘The best of both worlds’, published on 22 February, sets out how membership of the EU enhances our ability to co-operate with other EU Member States to combat crime and terrorism and keep all parts of the United Kingdom safe, including Northern Ireland. The paper is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-best-of-both-worlds-the-united-kingdoms-special-status-in-a-reformed-european-union.Government Ministers have regular discussions with Ministers from the Government of Ireland on a range of issues, including co-operation on security and other matters.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. ‘The best of both worlds’, published on 22 February, sets out how membership of the EU enhances our ability to co-operate with other EU Member States to combat crime and terrorism and keep all parts of the United Kingdom safe, including Northern Ireland. The paper is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-best-of-both-worlds-the-united-kingdoms-special-status-in-a-reformed-european-union.Government Ministers have regular discussions with Ministers from the Government of Ireland on a range of issues, including co-operation on security and other matters.

UK Membership of EU: Republic of Ireland

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with Irish Ministers on the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on relations with Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: Government Ministers have regular discussions with Ministers from the Government of Ireland on a range of issues, including co-operation on security and other matters.

Attorney General

EU Law

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the implications of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in the case of Costa v ENEL in July 1964 for the Government's policy on the relative relationship between EU and UK law.

Jeremy Wright: By longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have advised, or have not advised, and the content of their advice is not disclosed outside government.

Knives: Crime

Neil Coyle: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the CPS is taking to ensure a higher rate of prosecution for knife crimes.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recognises that carrying an offensive weapon, a knife or a bladed/pointed article is a serious offence as the unlawful provision and possession of weapons encourages violence and can cause serious injury and death in addition to facilitating other criminal offences. The CPS acts robustly to deter the carrying and use of knives and offensive weapons and has issued guidance to prosecutors on the prosecution of knife crimes. The guidance provides advice when deciding what offence to charge, the public interest considerations to apply and comments on sentencing practice. It has been agreed between the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the CPS that a more robust response is required in respect of youths aged 16 and 17. Guidance issued to the police by the NPCC has been shared with prosecutors to emphasise the consistency of approach of the two organisations and to underline the shared expectation that where there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction, a prosecution should normally result. The CPS participates in the cross-Government Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation programme of work which includes a work-stream to reduce violence and knife crime. CPS data on offences charged and reaching a first hearing at magistrates’ courts shows an increased number of prosecutions for the year 2014-2015 in comparison with the previous year.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been prosecuted for going abroad to assist Daesh.

Robert Buckland: As of the end January 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had successfully prosecuted and convicted 38 individuals in 27 cases where the allegations were considered to be related to the conflict in Syria.The CPS does not hold central records for the number of people prosecuted in relation to Daesh.

Law

Mark Menzies: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to increase public understanding of the law.

Robert Buckland: Public Legal Education is a statutory feature of the justice system and part of the Rule of Law. I have been actively involved with the Citizenship Foundation who are the UK's largest provider of public legal education for young people, I was also happy to support the recent establishment of the APPG to promote the importance of public legal education. It is my role as Solicitor General and as the Government’s pro bono champion, to help individuals become confident, effective members of society, helping them to develop an understanding of, how our society works as a democracy, our legal system, and their rights and responsibilities within it.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Regulation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of regulation on businesses.

Anna Soubry: The Government is committed to cutting £10bn worth of red tape, as set out in the 2015 Conservative Manifesto, and will report on progress by June this year. We are putting forward proposals in the Enterprise Bill to systematically track for the first time the impact of regulators’ actions. This will drive savings through, for instance, simpler guidance, less paperwork and coordinated inspections. Through my department’s Cutting Red Tape programme, businesses are encouraged to report burdens and recommend sectors that Government may wish to review. There are currently seven reviews in progress: Energy; Care; Agriculture; Mineral Extraction; Waste; Anti-Money Laundering; and House Building.

Trade Promotion

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote trade opportunities for UK businesses in high-growth markets.

Anna Soubry: Increasing exports, to all overseas markets, is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Government departments are working together to support UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities and to create a strong business environment that allows them to flourish both at home and overseas. A key part of this work is to identify export opportunities, many of which are based around the needs of high-growth and emerging markets.This effort to drive economic growth is supported in part by the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy Programme, a group of appointed parliamentarians drawn from across the political spectrum. Envoys are carefully selected for their experience, skills and knowledge of particular sectors or markets, or their knowledge of business in an effort to identify substantial trade and investment opportunities. There are now 24 Trade Envoys covering 50 high-growth and emerging markets.

Business: Floods

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funds the Government is providing for businesses affected by flooding which did not have insurance.

Anna Soubry: I have made it clear to local councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships who are administering the Business Recovery Grant that they should look to provide funding to un-insured businesses so long as it is clear that this is not rewarding deliberate bad business practice. So where a flooded business has made a reasonable effort to secure insurance and not been successful they can be funded. We have provided £11m in total to provide support to businesses, allocated to local areas based on the number of flooded businesses.

EU External Trade: China

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether China has met all of the technical Market Economy Status criteria as set by the EU.

Anna Soubry: According to the latest assessment by the European Commission China has not met all of the technical criteria for awarding Market Economy Status. However, these criteria were designed to inform decisions in the event that the EU decided to seek to award China MES before the end of the 15 year transition period specified by China’s protocol of accession to the WTO. As the transition period ends in December, the question facing the European Commission now is a legal one about the interpretation of article 15 of China’s protocol of accession to the WTO and whether it requires that China must now be granted MES.

Living Wage: Publicity

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the expenditure has been on the new National Living Wage advertising campaign to date.

Nick Boles: As of 26 January 2016, £378,826.28 had been spent on building awareness of the National Living Wage The total budget allocated for the National Living Wage advertising campaign is £4.95 million. The campaign will end at the end of April and we expect to come in under budget. It is important workers know their rights and that employers pay the new £7.20 from April 1 this year. The campaign will tell people about their entitlements and is targeted at those that need it most.

Living Wage: Publicity

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which company has been given the contract for billboard advertisement distribution for the new National Living Wage campaign; and by what process that company was selected.

Nick Boles: 48 sheet billboards, 6 sheet bus stop posters, and bus interior panels are being used in the National Living Wage campaign. All poster sites were bought through Carat, the government’s appointed media buyers. The media owners of the poster sites are PML, Clearchannel Outdoor, Exterion Media and JCDecaux. The poster sites are selected based on a combination of population data, poster site availability, and analysis of data showing regions where recipients of the NLW are expected to be highest.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: British Overseas Territories

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which British Overseas Territories will be included within the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which British Overseas Territories will be included within the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



  Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made between the EU and other countries do not automatically apply to Overseas Territories. However, the UK does work to ensure that the impact of FTAs on Overseas Territories is assessed and taken into account during negotiations.

Metals

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the security of supply of (a) the rare earths neodymium and dysprosium and (b) tellurium.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



  Neodymium and dysprosium are rare earth elements, which means that they are included on the EU’s list of critical raw materials because of their high economic importance and high supply risk. Tellurium is not on that list but the Government is aware of its scarcity and importance to manufacturing of alloys and some electronic equipment. The UK is working with European partners and others in global organisations to ensure that there is sufficient supply in the future that is available in accordance global trade rules.

Timber: Biofuels

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the effect of the Government's policy on biomass on the availability of UK-produced wood supplies to UK industries.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has held no specific discussions with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the effect of the Government’s policy on biomass on the availability of UK-produced wood supplies to UK industries. BIS is coordinating discussions between senior leaders in the industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology, chemicals, medicines manufacturing and agri-tech sectors, to consider how these industries can work together, alongside the UK’s excellent science and technology base, to build a strong and growing bioeconomy. These discussions are likely to include the availability of biomass feedstocks and their impact on specific sectors.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when his Department plans to establish the reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry: The reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials of his Department are (a) responsible for external trade policy, (b) working on policy related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and (c) worked on policy related to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Anna Soubry: There are 41 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. Of these 10 are primarily working on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was one of a number of trade negotiations being handled by a team of 5 BIS officials. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

Property: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many properties that have been bought and sold in (a) London and (b) each London borough in the last 10 years record no sale price on the Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: The relevant data requested is attached. 



New registered proprietor entry 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37 KB)

Property: Foreign Companies

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many properties in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) each London Borough are registered with the Land Registry (i) in total and (ii) to off-shore companies.

Anna Soubry: The relevant data is attached.



New registered proprietor entry with no registered
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29 KB)

Wales Office

Wales Office: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff in his Department receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Alun Cairns: No staff in the Wales Office receive these allowances.

Wales Office: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office is subject to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) policies for HR and pay purposes.

Department for Education

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training is provided to specialist contractors hired by her Department to advise regional school commissioners on their responsibilities related to the Civil Service Code.

Edward Timpson: The specialist contractors that support the academies and free school programme are directed in advance of commencing any work that their conduct and behaviour when delivering the Department’s business complies with the Civil Service Code’s principles.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the daily rate of pay is for specialist contractors hired by her Department to advise regional school commissioners.

Edward Timpson: The department does not publish daily rates for specialist contractors. Doing so would prejudice commercial interests.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which specialist contractors her Department has hired to advise regional school commissioners.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the terms and conditions of the contracts of the specialist contractors hired by her Department to advise regional school commissioners.

Edward Timpson: The Department will publish an award notice on GOV.UK that names suppliers that have been awarded contracts, business addresses and contract values over £20,000. The Department will also be publishing related supplier contracts that support the academy and free school programme on Contract Finder on GOV.UK by 31 March 2016.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the specialist contractors hired by her Department to advise regional school commissioners are required to declare any interests relevant to their employment by her Department.

Edward Timpson: Contractors procured to support the academies and free schools programme are required to declare conflicts of interest.The contract states, “The Contractor is required to declare to the Contract Manager any interests and/or links, including other contracts or positions held whether they be paid or unpaid or relationships with, but not limited to, schools, education providers or other external organisations involved in the provision of education or education services so the Contract Manager may assess whether any conflicts of interest, whether potential, actual or perceived, and as reasonably judged by the Contract Manager, may have the potential to present reputational, operational or legal or risks to the Contractor and to the Department in allocating any particular project."If such a conflict of interest does arise, or may arise, the Contractor will declare it to the Department immediately and accept that the Department may ask the Contractor to immediately cease any involvement with the task giving rise to the conflict.”

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in the office of each regional schools commissioners are employed under a contract of employment to another third party.

Edward Timpson: The regional school commissioners currently have one agency worker and one inward secondee from a County Council.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what duties are placed on regional school commissioners to consult with local authorities on school place planning.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places in their local area.The RSCs are responsible for approving the sponsors of new free schools and intervening in underperforming academies and free schools in their area. The RSCs consider basic need when making decisions on proposed changes to academies, and must consider any representations from local authorities.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the staffing complement is of the office of each regional schools commissioner; and what the staff grade is of each post in each such office.

Edward Timpson: At present, each RSC office employs between 8 and 10 members of staff. In line with the Department's commitment to greater transparency, staffing structure information for each RSC office, including staff count for each grade, pay scale and location, is published on GOV.UK at: http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?pubbod=department-for-education

Schools: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students are taught in schools rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding in (a) Calder Valley constituency and (b) West Yorkshire.

Nick Gibb: As at 31 August 2015, 78% of pupils attended maintained schools and academies that were rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding in Calder Valley parliamentary constituency. This percentage has increased from 2010 when it was 74%, representing an increase of 1,531 more pupils attending good or outstanding schools.In West Yorkshire[1], 76% of pupils attended maintained schools and academies that were rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding as at 31 August 2015. This percentage has increased from 2010 when it was 60%, representing an increase of 69,359 more pupils attending good or outstanding schools.The percentages above include children attending all open primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, nurseries and pupil referral units as at 31 August 2015.[1] West Yorkshire consists of five local authority areas: Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

Schools: Radicalism

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent training programme in schools; what benchmarks her Department uses to assess and train staff who provide Prevent training; and what representations she has received from schools on that training.

Edward Timpson: The statutory Prevent duty guidance refers to the importance of training to equip staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. Individual schools and childcare providers are best placed to assess their training needs in the light of their assessment of the risk. Ofsted assess schools’ effectiveness in keeping children and learners safe from the dangers of radicalisation and extremism and will consider evidence that there is a clear approach to implementing the Prevent duty.To help raise awareness of Prevent and issues around radicalisation amongst front line staff, the Home Office is continuing to roll out freely available Workshops to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). There are a number of professionals, particularly in safeguarding roles (many of whom work within local authorities and the police), who are accredited WRAP facilitators. There has been a significant increase in the number of WRAP training sessions delivered since the end of 2014. The greatest volume of WRAP training has taken place in schools with a significant increase in numbers of staff trained. Over 32,000 staff within schools were WRAP trained in 2015.The Department has received a number of representations from schools about the availability of WRAP training, and we are working with Home Office and other partners to ensure that schools have access to the training they need.Jointly with Home Office, the Department has also launched a new website, called Educate Against Hate, which brings together the best advice, support and resources available for parents, teachers and school leaders who want to learn how to protect young people from extremism and radicalisation. The website also includes references to Prevent training. http://www.educateagainsthate.com/

Children in Care: EU Nationals

Margaret Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the number of children from families from Eastern European countries that have entered the care system in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Horticulture: Training

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on horticultural training in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: It is not possible to give an estimate of how much funding the Department has spent on horticultural training, as the post-16 funding formula does not attribute funding to specific subjects. We fund institutions based on their whole programme content and student profile. Institutions then divide their funding between subjects as they see fit.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to reply to the letter of 15 February 2016 from the Rt hon. Member for Birkenhead regarding free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Secretary of State has received the Rt hon. Member for Birkenhead’s letter of 15 February 2016 about free school meals and will respond shortly, and within the normal timeframe for correspondence.

Children: Day Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to adjust the eligibility criteria for claiming free childcare so that it can be claimed from the child's third birthday rather than from the next term date after the child turns three.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Three year old children become eligible for a government funded early education place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April following their third birthday or the beginning of the autumn, spring or summer school term if this is later. These dates mirror those for compulsory school age, which is the beginning of the term following a child’s fifth birthday. This is intended to ensure that all three year old children can access two years of funded early education and/or maintained school reception provision before they reach compulsory school age.The most disadvantaged two year olds are eligible for a government funded early education place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April following their third birthday or the beginning of the autumn, spring or summer school term if this is later.

Academies: Performance Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to publish examination performance data for academy chains; and if she will make an assessment.

Edward Timpson: I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 26994, submitted to Parliament on Tuesday 23 February 2016.

Academies: Performance Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the threshold for the number of coasting academies in an academy chain above which her Department plans to take action.

Edward Timpson: An academy will be considered coasting where data shows that over a three year period it has failed to ensure that pupils reach their potential. An academy will only be coasting if performance data falls below the coasting bar in all three previous years. Therefore, no academy will be identified as coasting until after the 2016 performance data is published and there is 3 years of data available for 2014, 2015 and 2016.Regional Schools Commissioners will take action when any academy falls within the coasting definition and cannot demonstrate that it has a sufficient plan to improve rapidly without additional support.

Academies: Inspections

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted plans to inspect academy chains as well as individual academies; and if she will make an assessment.

Edward Timpson: Ofsted already inspects multi-academy trusts (MAT) through focused inspections of batches of academies within MATs. The published inspection outcome letters describe Ofsted’s assessment of the overall performance of the MAT, as well as a summary of the outcome of the individual academy inspections. The EFA provides assurance over the use of public funds and the MATs' compliance with the accountability framework.

Academies: Performance Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support best practice from successful academy chains being passed on to other academy chains.

Edward Timpson: We are building a school-led system which is focused on building on the expertise and knowledge of our best school leaders and most successful Multi Academy Trusts. There is a range of routes through which academy chains can and do learn from each other.The Department has a number of system leadership routes, including Teaching Schools and their alliances, and National Leaders of Education, which enable school leaders and our most successful schools to be at the forefront of sharing best practice.Around half of nearly 700 teaching schools are academies. A similar proportion of over 1000 National Leaders in Education are also drawn from academies.Regional Schools Commissioners also facilitate sharing of best practice, including through regional events, informal networking opportunities and targeted development activity.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Security

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of confiscation of (a) knives, (b) firearms and (c) other weapons in (i) magistrates' and (ii) Crown courts there were in each year since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Department takes the issue of security within courts extremely seriously and has a robust security and safety system to protect all court users and the judiciary. Security procedures, including the detection technology used, is continuously reviewed to ensure that security is as effective as possible’ The number of confiscated knives, firearms and other weapons in Magistrates and Crown Courts are as follows: KnivesFirearms (incl. Replicas)Other weapons ** Financial yearCrownMagistratesCrownMagistratesCrownMagistrates 12/13*32212526142462325 13/14705310872410026418 14/153,4693,4391219Currently unavailable Total4,4967,79925571,2488,743 * Figures for 2012/13 include data for an additional 8 week period from 1 February 2012 when the Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract was introduced.  ** ’Other weapons’ are any items Security Officers deem could be used as a weapon, includes for 2014/15 items such as glass bottles and items which would not have been deemed as weapons. Robust analysis of the data is underway.   KnivesFirearms (incl. Replicas)Other weapons (tools and sharp objects)Financial yearCrownMagistratesCrownMagistratesCrownMagistrates12/13*3221252614246232513/147053108724199412,38814/153,4693,43912194,06312,701Total4,4967,79925576,30327,414*Figures for 2012/13 include data for an additional 8 week period from 1 February 2012 when the Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract was introduced.The figures provided do not cover the period prior to 1 February 2012 as there was no consolidated reporting of items confiscated from court users prior to the introduction of the Total Facilities Management contract. For the purpose of this answer only full financial years have been provided. Analysis of the data for 2014/15 captured in the “other category” is currently underway to establish which items are or could be deemed as weapons, as the currently centrally held data represents a “catch all” and therefore may be misleading. I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as possible to provide clarity on that category.The increase in the number of weapons taken from people as they enter Crown Courts between 2012/13 and 2014/15 may be due to the implementation of more robust training for Court Security Officers; improved rates of recording for the taking of such items and improved searching of people entering Crown Courts.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Department takes the issue of security within courts extremely seriously and has a robust security and safety system to protect all court users and the judiciary. Security procedures, including the detection technology used, is continuously reviewed to ensure that security is as effective as possible’ The number of confiscated knives, firearms and other weapons in Magistrates and Crown Courts are as follows: KnivesFirearms (incl. Replicas)Other weapons ** Financial yearCrownMagistratesCrownMagistratesCrownMagistrates 12/13*32212526142462325 13/14705310872410026418 14/153,4693,4391219Currently unavailable Total4,4967,79925571,2488,743 * Figures for 2012/13 include data for an additional 8 week period from 1 February 2012 when the Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract was introduced.  ** ’Other weapons’ are any items Security Officers deem could be used as a weapon, includes for 2014/15 items such as glass bottles and items which would not have been deemed as weapons. Robust analysis of the data is underway.   KnivesFirearms (incl. Replicas)Other weapons (tools and sharp objects)Financial yearCrownMagistratesCrownMagistratesCrownMagistrates12/13*3221252614246232513/147053108724199412,38814/153,4693,43912194,06312,701Total4,4967,79925576,30327,414*Figures for 2012/13 include data for an additional 8 week period from 1 February 2012 when the Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract was introduced.The figures provided do not cover the period prior to 1 February 2012 as there was no consolidated reporting of items confiscated from court users prior to the introduction of the Total Facilities Management contract. For the purpose of this answer only full financial years have been provided. Analysis of the data for 2014/15 captured in the “other category” is currently underway to establish which items are or could be deemed as weapons, as the currently centrally held data represents a “catch all” and therefore may be misleading. I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as possible to provide clarity on that category.The increase in the number of weapons taken from people as they enter Crown Courts between 2012/13 and 2014/15 may be due to the implementation of more robust training for Court Security Officers; improved rates of recording for the taking of such items and improved searching of people entering Crown Courts.

Prisons: Libraries

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is for prison libraries in (a) total and (b) each prison in 2015; and what the cost was in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: All prisons in England and Wales have a library. NOMS has been responsible for funding prison library services in England from April 2011.The total NOMS allocated budget for prison libraries in 2015/16 in England was £7,592,414The attached table shows both the provider and allocated library budget for each prison in England since 2010. NOMS is not responsible for funding library services in prisons in Wales as this is a devolved function of the Welsh Government so data is not included. Privately managed prison contracts put in place since 2011 have identified levels of funding for libraries and so are included in the table. The table does not include library provision at privately managed prisons whose contracts were awarded before 2011 as this was part of the overall included contract price and so it is not possible to extract a specific cost element to this part of the contract. This equates to 10 prisons.On 8 September 2015 the Secretary of State announced a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates, which will report later in the year.

Prisons: Libraries

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons have libraries; and which organisations (a) run and (b) fund each such library.

Andrew Selous: All prisons in England and Wales have a library. NOMS has been responsible for funding prison library services in England from April 2011.The total NOMS allocated budget for prison libraries in 2015/16 in England was £7,592,414The attached table shows both the provider and allocated library budget for each prison in England since 2010. NOMS is not responsible for funding library services in prisons in Wales as this is a devolved function of the Welsh Government so data is not included. Privately managed prison contracts put in place since 2011 have identified levels of funding for libraries and so are included in the table. The table does not include library provision at privately managed prisons whose contracts were awarded before 2011 as this was part of the overall included contract price and so it is not possible to extract a specific cost element to this part of the contract. This equates to 10 prisons.On 8 September 2015 the Secretary of State announced a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates, which will report later in the year.

Domestic Violence

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were victims of domestic abuse were incarcerated for violent crimes committed in response to the abuse they had received in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

Prisoners: Education

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase opportunities for prisoners to acquire skills that could lead to earned release.

Andrew Selous: The Secretary of State for Justice last September asked Dame Sally Coates to chair a review of the quality of education in prisons. It is examining how we can better equip prisoners with the skills to find employment on release and will report in due course.

Young Offender Institutions: Staff

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 23824, whether any staff in young offender institutions are (a) qualified speech and language therapists, (b) registered with the Mental Health and Care Professions Council and (c) qualified social workers.

Andrew Selous: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.The Youth Justice Board is responsible for the commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.

Rochester Prison

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken as a result of the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' report on HM Prison Rochester, published in September 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ (HMIP) report on HMP Rochester was published on 13 January this year. Rochester prison faces a significant challenge from new psychoactive substances, which the Governor and his staff are determined to tackle. They have already put in place additional security measures, along with measures to increase awareness of substance misuse issues and extend support to overcome it. Progress has also been made since this inspection to improve safety and purposeful activity with more prisoners engaged in high quality work and training opportunities. The Governor will use the recommendations in this report to drive further improvements over the coming months. An action plan responding to all the recommendations in the report will be published at the following link in due course: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/

Rochester Prison

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the National Offender Management Service's Benchmarking Policy and efficiency programme in HM Prison Rochester.

Andrew Selous: The Benchmark Project involves applying the ‘benchmark’ developed in competition. Its purpose is to contribute to the further efficiencies public prisons were required to make and to optimise the effective delivery of services to help reduce re-offending. Applying the benchmark to an establishment involves two elements: the regime refresh and a new approach to staffing, which follows the principle of resource following risk. The benchmarking process includes a mechanism for Governors to formally raise resourcing issues and for additional resources to be deployed if deemed necessary. HMP Rochester has implemented the ‘benchmark’ principles however current recruitment levels of instructional staff mean that full implementation is not yet complete. Therefore, it is not proposed to revisit the Benchmarking Policy in HMP Rochester.

Prison Governors

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on increasing the autonomy of prison governors to make decisions about the day-to-day running of their prisons.

Andrew Selous: We intend to put the tools to drive improvements in how prisons are run in the hands of those at the frontline who know best what works. As the Prime Minister announced on 8 February, we will create 6 new reform prisons to spearhead this, with further change to follow.Reform prisons will give Prison Governors the freedom to find better ways of rehabilitating offenders. Reform prisons will have one resource budget and discretion over how they spend it, rather than the current system which means Governors cannot transfer money between different budgets. They will be able to opt out of national contracts and services and choose their own suppliers such as education providers – who they can then hold to account for the quality of the service provided. They will also have much more freedom to tailor their own regimes – for example, deciding on additional visits to support family ties, or the amount of time spend ‘out of cell’ doing purposeful activity.

Prisons: Property

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to sell unused property from the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build nine new prisons with physical conditions to improve rehabilitation, thereby enabling prisoners to turn away from a life of crime. We will close ageing and ineffective prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate. No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed, beyond those already announced for closure. The Ministry of Justice will seek to maximise best value for the taxpayer when disposing of any surplus property.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Judges: Training

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations have provided diversity and equality training to judges since 1 January 2012.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Judicial training is a matter for the judiciary and is fulfilled by the Judicial College, which reports to the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals. Some outside organisations have been invited to provide input, under judicial direction, into judicial training programmes and materials, including on specialist subjects. The Judicial College does not have a consolidated record of which organisations these are. Under the Judicial College Strategy, training in social context issues is incorporated into all training programmes and diversity and equal treatment issues are woven into the case studies used in training. The strategy is publicly available https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/training-support/judicial-college/judicial-college-strategy-2015-2017/

Sentencing

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that proposed revisions to the sentencing guideline for guilty plea reductions do not lead to a culture of plea bargaining.

Dominic Raab: On 11 February the independent Sentencing Council launched a consultation on a new proposed guideline for reductions in sentence for a guilty plea. This is a consultation, and no decisions have been made. Accepting a plea is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. All decisions by the prosecution are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Prisons: Security

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many key lock incidents there have been in each month since May 2010; how many such incidents related to doors of gates left unlocked; and in which establishments those incidents took place.

Andrew Selous: The information requested can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Belmarsh Prison: Visits

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken in response to the findings set out in the 2014-15 Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HM Prison Belmarsh on the prison's online and telephone booking system.

Andrew Selous: We had already recognised the issues highlighted in the 2014-15 Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HM Prison Belmarsh. I am pleased to inform the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead that we will be increasing the number of social visit slots that are available per session and we have added an additional booking telephone line. There are also plans to introduce an automated system to increase our capacity to manage visit calls.

Prisons: Knives

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 26908, what steps he is taking to improve the recording of knife finds in prisons to ensure that the data is easy to use and analyse.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21315, whether the changes to the Incident Report System of September 2015 made any improvements to the recording of knife finds.

Andrew Selous: Finds of certain prohibited items in prisons, including knives, are recorded on the NOMS Incident Reporting System (IRS).Until October 2015, any weapon in prison would be recorded under a miscellaneous incident type, and therefore would not provide consistent and complete information on weapon finds. In October 2015 we introduced a new incident type ‘Find’ on IRS, including a new category for ‘Weapons’, which means that separate data on weapons is now recorded.

Ministry of Justice: Freedom of Information

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason not all the monthly announcements of Freedom of Information releases for 2015 have been published on his Department's website.

Dominic Raab: The Freedom of Information Act does not require the Ministry of Justice to publish all our responses to Freedom of Information requests. The Ministry of Justice maintains a disclosure log on GOV.UK, and we review what is published on the log on an ongoing basis: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/freedom-of-information-disclosure-log#history

Belmarsh Prison: Visits

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) family and (b) legal visits to prisoners in HM Prison Belmarsh have been cancelled in each of the last 12 months; and for what reason each such visit was cancelled.

Andrew Selous: Family and legal visits have been cancelled on two occasions in the last 12 months at HM Prison Belmarsh. These were; 8 October 2015 – Due to a full lock down search of the prison9 December 2015 – To enable a Trade Union meeting

Prisons: Visits

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to prevent family and legal visits being cancelled in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: Maintaining family ties, including through visits, plays a vital role in helping prisoners turn away from crime.   All convicted prisoners are entitled to a minimum of two visits every 28 days and this has not changed since 1992. Extra visits can also be granted.   The Public Sector Prisons benchmark provides prisons with a core day and staffing resource to deliver all required activities and services. Part of the benchmark provision is the delivery of social and legal visits and there is an expectation that these are critical activities which will not be cancelled.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel cultural advisers are currently deployed on overseas operations.

Penny Mordaunt: There are currently seven members of the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit deployed on operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have received region-specific culture training at the Defence Centre for Languages and Culture in each year since 2013; and to which regions such training related.

Penny Mordaunt: The Defence Centre for Languages and Culture (DCLC) has delivered specific cultural training to over 621 military students since 2013. This information is not available by year.The DCLC has provided cultural training for the Middle East, North Africa and specific courses on Afghan, Kurdish, Gulf States and Moroccan culture; cultural training is also incoporated into all of the DCLC language courses.

Defence

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of the UK Joint Targeting and Battle Damage Assessment Policy paper, dated 2005, in the Library.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK Joint Targeting and Battle Damage Assessment Policy paper, dated 2005 established the baseline principles primarily for coordinating the delivery of lethal effects. This paper has been superseded by Joint Services Policy (JSP) 900 UK Targeting Policy - Edition 2 dated September 2015 which contains the policy and direction on targeting, and guidance on the processes involved and best practice to apply. UK Targeting policy has evolved to incorporate operational lessons identified through Full Spectrum Targeting, apportioning action (lethal and non-lethal) in accordance with desired policy outcomes, and to bring greater interoperability between the UK, NATO and the 5 Eyes Nations (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US ). JSP 900 cannot yet be placed in the public domain as it would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces and forces cooperating with them. However, we are working to produce a releasable version which is to be published later in 2016.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force, (c) Royal Navy and (d) reserve forces in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Mr Julian Brazier: Intake to the UK Regulars by location is unavailable. However, the Ministry of Defence publishes UK Regular strengths by stationed location in our Quarterly Location Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/location-of-all-uk-regular-service-and-civilian-personnel-quarterly-statistics-indexInformation on intake into the Volunteer Reserve by stationed location is provided in the attached table.



27213-Intake into the VR Stationed Location
(Word Document, 22.91 KB)

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had on the F-35's digital logistics system and its potential vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has regular discussions with the US Government and F-35 industry partners about the F-35 Lightning II programme, including the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). The ALIS has been subject to a comprehensive programme of testing and risk assessment. It has been designed to be resilient against cyber-attack and will continue to be the subject of testing throughout the life of the programme.

USA: RAF Lakenheath

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made of the legality of US airstrikes in Libya before authorising use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedure was followed before the authorisation of the use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.

Michael Fallon: I confirmed in a statement on 19 February 2016 that I had authorised the request. Permission was granted once I was satisfied with the legality of the operation.

Ministry of Defence: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) aims to pay 80% of its invoices within five working days and payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/procurement#ministry-of-defence-payment-performance. This shows that during the first three quarters of 2015-16, the MOD paid around 97% of its invoices within five days and 99.9% within 30 days. A comprehensive breakdown of the proportion of invoice payments made to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to private companies is not held.Information on MOD contracting with SMEs is also published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015. This shows that in 2014-15, the MOD placed around 440 new contracts directly with SMEs, with a collective value of around £320 million.

Ministry of Defence: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

Michael Fallon: Special Advisers provide policy, political, and communications advice to Ministers, across the business of the Department in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff in his Department receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

David Mundell: No staff in the Scotland Office receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance or (c) subsidised health insurance.

Scotland Office: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is not an employer in its own right and is subject to other Government departments policies for pay purposes.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for universal credit were paid within 42 days of a claim being made in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance were paid within 10 days of a claim being made in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



The information you have requested is currently not available. The department does not hold information on time taken to make a payment for jobseeker’s allowance, or employment and support allowance.Additional breakdowns will be included in the Universal Credit official statistics as quality assurance of data from the Universal Credit systems progresses during 2016.

Children: Maintenance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many current Child Support Agency arrears cases there is (a) a current or ongoing liability for a child and (b) no such ongoing liability.

Priti Patel: As at December 2015, there were 418,300 CSA cases with a current liability and arrears and 748,600 CSA cases with no liability and arrears.Information on Caseload Status is set out on Page 54 of the CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics which can be accessed online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics--2  NoteFigured rounded to nearest 100.Figures include 1993 and 2003 Schemes.

Children: Maintenance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many current Child Support Agency arrears cases with a current or ongoing liability for a child repayments are currently being made towards the arrears.

Priti Patel: As at December 2015, there were 149,600 CSA cases with a current liability and arrears paying more than their liability.Information on Caseload Status is set out on Page 54 of the CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics which can be accessed online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics--2 NoteFigured rounded to nearest 100.Figures include 1993 and 2003 Schemes.

Children: Maintenance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many arrears-only Child Support Agency cases repayments are currently being made towards the arrears.

Priti Patel: In the quarter to December 2015, 48,000 arrears only Child Support Agency cases made a payment towards their arrears. For further information see table 21(page 54) in the Quarterly Summary Statistics at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics--2 NoteFigured rounded to nearest 100.Figures include 1993 and 2003 Schemes.

Pension Funds: Trade Unions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, whether trades unions which are not formally recognised by an employer will be entitled to request and receive the Chair's Statement.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, when the Government and the Financial Conduct Authority plan to publish the evidence received on transaction costs for pension trusts; and what the timetable is for determining the next steps referred to.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, for what reason the Chair's Statement must be requested by beneficiaries rather than provided automatically.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government remains committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear. Although it is not a legal requirement, the Government expects that many schemes will choose to publish their annual Chair’s Statement. In due course, the Government intends to make regulations requiring information about scheme costs and charges to be published. Trade unions that are recognised to any extent for the purposes of collective bargaining in relation to members of the scheme are entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. Trade unions which do not meet these criteria are not entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. However, beneficiaries of pension schemes who are members of trade unions which are not recognised for collective bargaining purposes may still request the information and pass it on to their union or any other person. We intend to publish a summary of the evidence received on transaction costs in pension schemes when we announce our next steps, which will follow in due course.

Personal Independence Payment: Motability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have had their Mobility Scheme vehicle taken away as a result of personal independence payment replacing disability living allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold this information. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including collating its own management information and client statistics. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself. We recognise that the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be challenging for individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability scheme. For most of these customers who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many former Scheme customers to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For customers who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme after January 2013 and up to December 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs. Motability is also providing help with the cost of adaptations made to non-scheme vehicles and information on non-scheme motoring and insurance. The Scheme also offers customers an opportunity to purchase their vehicle after the end of the lease.

Children: Maintenance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of direct pay arrears has accrued on the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme; and to how many case groups those arrears relate.

Priti Patel: A case is classed as ‘Direct Pay’ when the maintenance calculation has been derived by the Child Maintenance Service (after assessment of the case) and the Paying Parent pays child maintenance directly to the Receiving Parent. These cases are assumed to be fully meeting their current liability since clients can come back to the CMS if there is a default on their payment or to request a revised calculation.

Children: Maintenance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of (a) 1993 and (b) 2003 Child Support Agency scheme arrears are currently being handled by the Child Maintenance Service; and to how many case groups those arrears relate.

Priti Patel: As at 31 December 2015 the total amount of 1993 and 2003 Child Support Agency scheme arrears held on the 2012 system and currently being handled by the Child Maintenance Service stood at £92.6 million. Information on related case groups and break downs by scheme are not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of his Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP does not hold the information to answer ‘what proportion of his Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time.’ However, the figures below are published monthly and quarterly on Gov.UK and confirm DWP’s commitment to paying invoices within 30 days (contractual) and 5 days. We cannot disaggregate the invoices into SMEs and other private companies. 2015-16 (Financial Year)Percentage of invoices paid within 5 daysPercentage of invoices paid within 30 daysQuarter 197.3%99.8%Quarter 295.5%99.7%Quarter 397.5%99.8% At December 2015, 2534 (9.3%) of the Department’s suppliers were SMEs. At December 2015, SMEs accounted for 2.5% of the Department’s direct commercial spend. However, there is a substantially greater proportion of commercial spend with SMEs via prime contractors. The Department relies upon Cabinet Office survey information in order to estimate the combined total spend with SMEs. The most recent combined total estimate we have (2014/15), is 16.2% of the total or some £483 million.

Work Capability Assessment: Epilepsy

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy have been assessed as being fit to work by their work capability assessments in each year since 2010.

Priti Patel: The information requested is shown in the table below. Assessment type10/1111/1212/1313/1414/15FFW outcomes2,2004,0003,3001,500900

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims have been made for a Short Term Benefit Advance in the last six months for which data is available; and what the outcomes of those claims were.

Priti Patel: Please see table below for Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) applications and the outcomes of those claims;  Aug-15Sep-15Oct-15Nov-15Dec-15Jan-16STBA Requests Received  17,45017,18817,39117,35517,42817,526STBA Requests Primary Benefit Paid (where the primary benefit has been paid negating the need for an STBA)3,4203,9843,8903,6883,9713,699STBA Requests Disallowed  5,6915,3984,9734,7494,9385,375STBAs Awarded  15,37215,92217,51518,24021,84425,118 The data provided is for Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefits, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.

Social Security Benefits: Epilepsy

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy are claiming employment and support allowance and personal independence payments.

Priti Patel: The number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants with epilepsy as their main disabling condition, as at August 2015, is 44,720. Information on the number of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment at 31 October 2015, by a range of conditions including epilepsy, has been published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit sanctions were issued in error and subsequently cancelled in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel: A decision to apply a sanction is not taken lightly, and claimants are given the opportunity to provide “good reason” for not complying before the decision is made. Further information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions-leaflet/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions-how-to-keep-your-benefit-payment The available information for the number of Sanction appeals and reconsiderations overturned, in respect of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance, is published via Stat-Xplore at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to answer the letter to him dated 12 January 2016 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms S Lyons.

Justin Tomlinson: Our records show that this correspondence, regarding the overpayment of Tax Credits, was transferred to Ministerial colleagues at HM Treasury on 26 January 2016.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Floods: Insurance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses flooded in 2015 which did not have flood insurance.

Rory Stewart: We understand some Local Authorities may collate information on the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses flooded in 2015 which did not have flood insurance, but we have made no assessment.To help those affected by the recent flooding, including the uninsured, the Government has announced nearly £200m to support recovery efforts. This includes grants of up to £5000 to make properties and businesses more resilient to future flooding, £500 per household to help with recovery costs, such as provision of temporary accommodation, an average of £2500 per business to support to businesses whose trade has been affected by flooding and Council Tax and Businesses Rate relief.We are also taking action to protect domestic properties at the highest flood risk by making sure that households can access affordable flood insurance, regardless of where they live. Flood Re has now been set up and it is expected to start accepting policies in April.We are aware that some small businesses in high flood risk areas may find accessing affordable insurance challenging. We are working to further understand what problems the small business community are experiencing and to discuss the options available for taking action.

Dairy Farming

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions have taken place with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development on the situation in the dairy industry since the early support payments were made in November 2015.

George Eustice: Difficulties with low prices in the dairy sector were discussed with Commissioner Hogan at Agriculture Council on 15 February. Member States have been invited to present their initial suggestions for how to deal with the ongoing pressure on EU farmers ahead of further talks at Council on 14 March.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the sensitivity of the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test for Bovine TB; and what steps her Department is taking to improve testing for TB.

George Eustice: The single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) commonly known as the ‘skin test’ is the legal standard approved in the EU legislation for the diagnosis of TB in live cattle in the UK. SICCT has a very high specificity giving on average only one false positive result for every 5,000 or 6,000 uninfected cattle tested, although it is only moderately sensitive (with about one in five to one in four infected cattle potentially missed by the test).The skin test is a good herd screening test and it is supplemented by post-mortem meat inspection at commercial slaughter of cattle. When one or more infected animals are detected in a cattle herd, we apply a number of strategies to improve the overall sensitivity of TB testing until the infected herd regains officially TB free status. This includes testing the herd every 60 days, lowering the positive cut-off of the skin test (‘severe interpretation’) and supplementing the skin test with the more sensitive interferon-gamma blood test.We have also increased the number of interferon-gamma blood tests carried out in conjunction with the SICCT to maximise the detection of infected cattle in TB breakdown herds. This number has more than quadrupled since 2009 to reach just over 74,000 blood tests in 2015. The use of this blood test to help remove infected animals from breakdown herds has been compulsory in the Low Risk Area of England since 2006 and in the whole of the Edge Area since January 2014.My department plans to launch a public consultation that will set out proposals for enhancing the sensitivity of TB testing in TB breakdown herds.

Slaughterhouses: CCTV

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the installation of mandatory, independently-monitored CCTV in slaughterhouses and abattoirs.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Rt. Hon. Member for Knowsley, George Howarth, on 24 June 2015, PQs UIN 2944 and 2945.

Fish Products: Supermarkets

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government is doing to encourage supermarkets to act responsibly when sourcing and purchasing fish products.

George Eustice: Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed a ‘Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood’ (RASS), an online seafood sourcing tool, to help retailers assess the potential reputational risks of sourcing particular types of seafood. The primary objective is to support commercial seafood buyers by presenting up-to-date information on a comprehensive range of fisheries whose products are in the UK supply-chain, covering four components: stock, management, bycatch, and habitat. This year, RASS will be expanded through the addition of seafood social responsibility factors including crew welfare, human rights and slavery.Seafish has also developed, and recently launched at the Houses of Parliament, the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The RFS is a voluntary vessel-based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels. It is the only programme certifying crew welfare and responsible catching practices on vessels, and complements other fishery-based sustainability certifications. Such assurances are being increasingly sought by the UK market.

Fisheries: Vocational Guidance

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage young people to take up a career in the fishing industry.

George Eustice: Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish launched a three-week ‘Introduction to Commercial Fishing’ course in September 2011 to help recruit and train new entrants to the fishing industry. Drawing on funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), Seafish has delivered 84 courses throughout the UK and trained 741 new entrants. Seafish has also developed a one-year (minimum) ‘Apprenticeship in Sea Fishing’ programme to attract new entrants looking for a career in commercial fishing. It has been delivered in England by the Whitby & District Fishing Industry School, and is now being offered as a Modern Apprenticeship in Scotland by the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland and the North East Scotland College in Peterhead. Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 51 apprentices registered for, and 44 completed, the programme. Moreover, Seafish has developed ‘Fish and Shellfish Apprenticeships’ to help the onshore sectors of the seafood industry recruit new high-calibre entrants. In addition, Seafish created ‘The World is Your Oyster’, a recruitment campaign designed to showcase the diverse employment opportunities and career prospects in the seafood and fishing industries. The campaign launched in November last year, and is targeted at school leavers, youngsters and those considering a career change. Further information can be found on the Seafish website. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has provided financial support via the EFF to Fisheries Local Action Groups for schemes which include apprenticeships and training for the fishing industry. Funds paid for such schemes under EFF with MMO matched funding are in the region of £208,829. Support for training programmes and apprenticeships will continue to be available under the European Maritime Fisheries Fund, replacing the EFF, which opened on 18 January.

Fish Products

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote seafood as a healthy British food.

George Eustice: Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed ‘Fish is the Dish’, an online campaign which encourages UK consumers to eat more seafood for a healthier diet. The campaign’s digital channels target consumers with health messaging about the nutritional benefits of seafood, including zinc, selenium, iron, omega-3 and vitamin D. The campaign highlights how more seafood can easily be incorporated into the diet. Seafish’s ‘#superfishoil’ campaign champions seafood as the best source of omega-3, using innovative and creative communications to raise awareness of seafood’s unique nutritional benefits. This work is supported by Heart Research UK, as well as the wider seafood industry, which has access to a marketing toolkit to help promote the health benefits of eating seafood. Health also plays an important part in the annual ‘Seafood Week’ campaign, which generates extensive cross-supply chain support. A new Seafish project looking at the nutritional make-up of fish and chips will help further inform healthy eating choices.

Agriculture

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial effect of leaving the EU on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.

George Eustice: The Government has not made any assessment of the financial impact that leaving the EU would have on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Ash Dieback Disease

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of (a) the geographical extent of ash dieback disease and (b) its effect upon woodland and the number of ash trees in the UK.

Rory Stewart: The spread of ash dieback has been progressing much as we expected. This is based on the scientific modelling of the outbreak undertaken by Cambridge University. The Government has a comprehensive surveillance programme in place to monitor the infection. The level of infection is widely variable in areas, with the south-east of England being worst affected. A map showing outbreaks is updated regularly and available online at: http://chalaramap.fera.defra.gov.uk/ Ash is the third most prevalent broadleaved species in GB woodlands (estimated stocked area of ash is 142,000 thousand hectares, with an estimated 126 million trees) and as a proportion of total UK woodlands is around 4.7 percent (142,000 hectares as a proportion of three million hectares). Ash is also very common in non-woodland settings and it is estimated that there are 27-60 million ash trees[1] in non-woodland environments (parks, gardens, lining roads and railways). Local effects on landscapes and woodlands will mostly be gradual and mitigated by other tree species taking the place of ash trees. Natural tolerance to the disease does exist and the UK is leading the way on the work to identify resistant strains.[1] The Tree Council (2015): Chalara in Non-Woodland Situations. Findings from a 2014 study.

Ash Dieback Disease

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the ecological effect of ash dieback disease in rural areas.

Rory Stewart: A series of research projects, jointly funded by Defra, has looked into the ecological impacts of ash dieback and investigated possible woodland management options which might ameliorate the problems caused by ash dieback. The results from this work have been published at:http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5273931279761408. The research found that there are tree species that share ecological traits or support some of the species associated with ash trees. However, there is no single tree species that would be able to fill the niche provided by ash in terms of both its ecosystem characteristics and biodiversity contribution. The Forestry Commission provides advice to woodland managers about how best to manage and adapt to ash dieback, for example by planting a variety of tree species as diversity brings resilience to pests and diseases.

Ash Dieback Disease

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made in identifying ash trees with resistance to ash dieback disease; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Investing in research is one of our key commitments in response to ash dieback. We have invested over £21 million into tree health research and the UK is leading the way on the work to identify resistant strains. Defra funded research has already identified three genetic markers for tolerance. This is a significant first step in developing trees with tolerance to the disease and testament to the innovation and dedication of our world leading scientists. The Government-funded screening trial of 155,000 ash saplings is also unprecedented in its scope. Collectively, our research is investigating the genetic basis for natural tolerance and screening our native ash trees for genetic markers; work is also underway to further our understanding of the pathogen, how it spreads and local management approaches to protect individual, high value trees.

Home Office

Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that recent refugee arrivals from the Middle East and North Africa are assimilated into British society and culture.

James Brokenshire: We are working towards achieving more integrated communities and creating the conditions for everyone to live and work successfully alongside each other. All those who claim asylum are reminded of their responsibilities to comply with British law. Those who are granted refugee status are given access to the labour market and benefits, and are encouraged to access organisations who can assist with integration.The Prime Minister announced on 20 July that Louise Casey would carry out a review on how to boost opportunity and integration in Britain. In addition, the Prime Minister recently announced that £20 million of additional funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses would be introduced in October 2016. This funding will reach the most isolated communities in the UK to help them integrate into society.Each local authority region has a strategic migration partnership that provides coordination and support services for those organisations working with migrants.

Asylum: Children

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum seekers claiming to be under the age of 18 arrived in the UK for each of the last three years for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Figures on asylum applications for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release. The attached table gives total applications for asylum from UASC aged under 18, for 2012 to 2014.Asylum applications received from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children under 18, excluding dependants, 2012 to 2014YearTotal applications20121,02820131,19720141,858Table Notes(1) An Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child (UASC) is a person under 18, or who, in the absence of documentary evidence establishing age, appears to be under that age, is applying for asylum on his or her own right and has no relative or guardian in the United Kingdom.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risk of radicalisation of asylum claimants whose asylum claim has been refused but who cannot legally be deported because their destination country is deemed unsafe.

James Brokenshire: Those claiming asylum in the UK undergo a series of checks against immigration and police databases. Asylum claimants are screened to identify individuals who may have been involved in serious criminality outside of the UK, this includes (but is not limited to) war crimes, crimes against humanity and terrorism. Asylum claimants are also screened for indicators of national security interest and where identified further checks and investigations are undertaken.The Prevent statutory duty has made it a legal obligation for specified public bodies, including the police, local authorities, and health services, to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into, or supporting, terrorism. We would expect authorities in contact with asylum claimants to have due regard to the risk of radicalisation in the same way that they would any other safeguarding issue.No one who is at risk of serious harm in their country is expected to return there, but we do expect those who do not need our protection to return home voluntarily.

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of cases in which asylum claims are refused on the basis that the claimant is not judged to have a sufficient case but the claimant cannot be deported because their home country is deemed to be unsafe.

James Brokenshire: We carefully consider all asylum claims on their individual merits and provide protection for those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations. No one who is at risk of serious harm in their country is expected to return there, but we do expect those who do not need our protection to return home voluntarily.

Immigration

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policy on the factors influencing migration to the UK of the findings of the Overseas Development Institute in its report, Journeys to Europe: the role of policy in migrant decision-making, published in February 2016.

James Brokenshire: The Government believes that a comprehensive solution is needed to deal with the causes of the migration crisis, not just its consequences. This includes stability in source and transit countries; swift assistance to those in need of humanitarian protection and speedy return of those who are not. We will continue to work with EU partners to solve the immediate issues, and to implement a wider plan: in particular, we are supporting more effective management of the EU’s external border, joint action on people smuggling, and stronger cooperation with third countries.

Refugees: Turkey

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of how the EU Refugee Facility for Turkey will reduce migration from Turkey.

James Brokenshire: The UK supports the Turkey-EU Action Plan of which the EU Refugee Facility is part of, which was signed on 29 November between the EU and Turkey. Implementation will not be straightforward given the volume of numbers and the determination of individuals to cross land and sea borders. The facility will positively impact on the numbers of refugees leaving Turkey. The Refugee facility will provide immediate humanitarian support and access to schools, hospitals, housing and employment required over the longer term to support refugees and the communities which host them. The Action Plan is just one aspect of efforts to respond to the migration crisis seen in the Mediterranean last year.

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claimants whose asylum claim has been refused, but who cannot be legally deported because their destination country is deemed unsafe (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: We do not routinely collect such statistics. Each asylum case is considered on its individual merits. Where it is accepted that an individual would face persecution in their country of origin or it would be otherwise unsafe for them to return, some form of protection would normally be granted in the UK. If protection is not granted, then whether or not removal can be enforced, we expect failed asylum seekers to return home. The Home Office closely monitors developments in all countries of return and will take decisions on a case-by-case basis in the light of international obligations and the latest available country information. Generally, there are no countries to which, as a matter of immigration policy, we cannot remove. However there may be some countries where at any one time it is difficult practically to undertake enforced removals.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to issue a response to the Migration Advisory Committee review of Tier 2 visas.

James Brokenshire: The Government is carefully considering the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations and has not yet made its final decisions. We will announce our response in due course.

Refugees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of UK citizens previously granted refugee status who have been refused permission for family members to join them on account of the minimum income threshold in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not available from centrally collated statistical databases, and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files.

Entry Clearances

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards her Department has put in place to ensure that out-of-country entry clearance applications are rigorously checked and processed.

James Brokenshire: All out of country entry clearance applications are subject to an extensive range of mandatory and discretionary checks.These include, but are not limited to, identity, travel document verification, searches against national and international police records and against previous Immigration history. But biographic and biometric checks can also be made.Applications are then assessed against the Immigration Rules. Decision quality is assured both by local managers and as part of the overall Departmental audit and assurance framework. Further assurance is provided by regular third party inspections and audits.

Asylum: Housing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were being accommodated by G4S in the (a) North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Midlands and East of England regions on the latest date for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers in Section 95 dispersal accommodation, by local authority. In Q3 2015 there were 2,713 in dispersed accommodation in the North East; 3,736 in Yorkshire and the Humber; 4,351 in the West Midlands; 2,289 in East Midlands; 387 in East of England (Asylum Vol 4. Table 16q). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylum.

Asylum: North West

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were being accommodated by Serco in the North West region on the latest date for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers in Section 95 dispersal accommodation, by local authority. In Q3 2015 there were 7,531 in dispersed accommodation in the North West region (Asylum Vol 4. Table 16q).https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylum

Asylum: Children

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who claim to be under the age of 18 have undergone independent testing to determine their age in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: We publish statistics on cases where the claimant’s age has been disputed and a formal age assessment has been carried out. The table below shows the number of cases in each of the last 3 years. Asylum Claims by Year with a disputed ageYear of ClaimTotals201233720133232014318Data is taken from published statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylum

Asylum: Fraud

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were suspected of making fraudulent claims to be under the age of 18 in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: We publish statistics where the claimant’s age has been disputed and a formal age assessment has been carried out. In the twelve months to September 2015 there were 590 such cases. Data is taken from published statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylumThe results of these assessments and the Home Office’s eventual finding as to age are recorded on the immigration casework database but this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files.

Entry Clearances: Children

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arriving at UK airports from which countries were not eligible for entry clearance in 2015.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children from each country of embarkation arrived at UK airports without being eligible for entry clearance in 2015.

James Brokenshire: This information is not held centrally.The UK Government takes child safeguarding extremely seriously. All Border Force officers have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act.

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claimants whose asylum claim had been refused but who could not be legally deported because their destination country was deemed unsafe were admitted to prison in each year between 2006-07 and 2009-10.

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claimants whose asylum claim has been refused but who cannot be legally deported because their destination country is deemed unsafe have been admitted to prison in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: We carefully consider all asylum claims on their individual merits and provide protection for those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations. No one who is at risk of serious harm in their country is expected to return there, but we do expect those who do not need our protection to return home voluntarily. Neither the Home Office nor the Ministry of Justice holds data on the number of failed asylum seekers who are admitted to prison as the information is not captured in that way.

Betting Shops: Crimes of Violence

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police call-outs to betting shops there were due to violence related to fixed odds betting terminals.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of fixed odds betting terminals on levels of crime; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not collect information centrally on the reasons why police officers are called out to specific locations. The Home Office has no plans for a formal assessment of the impact of fixed odds betting terminals on levels of crime.It is for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to decide crime priorities at a local level, and the most appropriate response in their areas.

Passports: Applications

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applications for passports are processed without delays over the peak summer period.

James Brokenshire: Robust operational plans are in place and are reviewed regularly to ensure Her Majesty’s Passport Office is able to process passport applications within the published service standards. The organisation's workforce and operational plans take account of demand cycles, and contingency measures are in place.

Asylum: Fraud

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum seekers who have been found to have fraudulently claimed to be under the age of 18 in each of the last years.

James Brokenshire: We publish statistics on cases where the claimant’s age has been disputed and a formal age assessment has been carried out. The table below shows the number of cases in each of the last 3 years.  Asylum Claims by Year with a disputed ageYear of ClaimTotals201233720133232014318 Data is taken from published statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylumWhilst we do hold information on the results of these assessments and whether they were found to be under the age of 18 the way corresponding data is held means that to obtain the data could only be achieved at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files.

Metropolitan Police: Nurses

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many custody nurses were employed by the Metropolitan Police (a) in total and (b) in each London borough in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of custody nurses employed by the Metropolitan Police. This information may be held by the Metropolitan Police Force.

Home Office: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of her Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between her Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

Karen Bradley: a) The Home Office is not required to compile prompt payment data in respect of private companies. To calculate such a figure would incur disproportionate costs.b) In the financial year 2014-15, 88% of the total numbers of all invoices to every type of supplier were paid within five working days of receipt. The total number of invoices paid within 30 working days of receipt of invoice was 97%.For small and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Home Office paid 80% of invoices within five working days of receipt of invoice. And 96% of invoices from SMEs were paid within 30 working days of receipt of invoice.i) The proportion of the number of contracts between the Home Office and SMEs is not readily available, except at disproportionate costs.ii) In 2014-15, the Home Office have reported 19.6% spend with SMEs. This figure is made up of 7.7% (£200 million) direct spend with SMEs and 11.9% (£310 miliion) indirect spend.

Fire Prevention

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for the future of its Fire Kills campaign.

Mike Penning: The evaluation of the recent Fire Kills Unsung Heroes campaign is currently underway and the results will be analysed and fed into future campaign development. The Fire Kills campaign is included in plans for 2016/17 subject to appropriate approvals from the Secretary of State.

Sexual Offences

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information police forces hold on the (a) nationality and (b) ethnicity of those (i) arrested for (ii) convicted of sexual assaults against women.

Mike Penning: Under the annual data requirement (ADR), police forces are required to submit data to the Home Office on the ethnicity and sex of persons arrested for sexual offences. These data cannot be broken down to identify the number of arrests for sexual offences against women. Data on the nationality of persons arrested are not collected centrally.Police forces hold a range of personal information on the Police National Computer (PNC) and local police databases on those arrested and convicted of any offence, including sexual assaults against women.Additionally, the personal information of anyone cautioned or convicted for a sexual offence listed in Schedule 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, including sexual assault, is held on the police dangerous persons’ database, Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR).

Department for International Development

Bangladesh: Conditions of Employment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage UK companies to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay in clothes factories in Bangladesh in their supply chains.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK, through DFID, is encouraging UK companies to improve working conditions, safety standards and pay in the garment sector in Bangladesh in a number of ways. The UK has used every opportunity to call for companies to take responsibility for the working conditions. This has included a Westminster Hall debate, repeat Ministerial visits to Bangladesh, and various meetings with retailers and buyers.The UK Government has also encouraged all UK Brands to sign up to the Bangladesh Safety Accord, an independent and legally-binding agreement between trade unions and private companies that was established in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster to improve safety and health standards in the Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment Industry. A total of 30 UK companies have signed the Accord.The UK is also supporting the Trade in Global Value Chains Initiative (TGVCI) which supports UK companies to invest more in their supply chains and improve working conditions in the factories in which they are working. DFID also supports the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which is a leading alliance of British companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations working together to improve the lives of workers around the world.

Bangladesh: Factories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the government of Bangladesh to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay in clothes factories used by international companies in Bangladesh.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK, through FCO and DFID is encouraging the government of Bangladesh to improve working conditions and safety standards in the garment sector in a number of ways.The UK actively lobbies the government on these issues through the 3 + 5 mechanism that was established as part of the Sustainability Compact.We are also working with the Government of Bangladesh to improve the framework within which factories operate. As part of our Garments sector programme, we are building the capacity of the government to significantly improve factory regulation and inspection by strengthening the Department for Inspection of Factories and Establishment. Through our support, this Department will have a 575 member cadre of professional labour inspectors, who among other things, will ensure that factories are safe and that they pay workers their salaries and overtime payments according to the law. The UK has also helped fund building, fire and electrical safety inspections in 1500 garment factories.In 2013, as a result of lobbying from major stakeholders including the UK, Bangladesh raised the minimum wage for the country’s garment workers by 77 percent to 5,300 taka (£42) per month.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she intends to answer the letter to her dated 4 January 2016 with regard to Ms J. Ellis.

Mr Desmond Swayne: I responded to the Rt. hon. Member’s letter on 14 January.

Department for International Development: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of her Department were in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The figures given in the table below represent the average (mean) salary for each of the defined categories requested as at the 31st of January in each of the last three years. Providing information for 2012 and 2013 could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Year  (as at 31/01)Average Female Hourly Rate  (£)Average Male Hourly Rate  (£)Average Full Time Hourly Rate  (£)Average Part Time Hourly Rate  (£)201424.9526.5325.7625.05201524.9527.0325.7927.10201625.1527.1826.0825.68 DFID pay is set within Civil Service rules defined by HM Treasury, and grade specific scales operate regardless of gender. Differences in hourly rates apply due to the grade and location profile of the organisation.

Bangladesh: Textiles

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Clean Clothes Campaign memorandum, published on 28 January 2016; and if she will raise the matters discussed in that memorandum with the Bangladeshi government.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Ensuring the safety of garment sector workers around the world is of critical importance. Whilst progress has been made since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2011, the Clean Clothes Campaign is right to say safety improvements in factories in Bangladesh need to speed up. The second review of the EU-US-Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, conducted in the first week of February, acknowledged the complexities involved in making improvements across the garment sector and highlighted it as a priority area where all involved – brands, factories and the government – need to work together to make progress.The UK is addressing this sector-wide issue in two ways. Firstly, our programme is improving the institutional capacity of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments to enable this government body to follow up on Corrective Action Plans; there are now 270 inspectors in place (up from around 90 in 2013) who are trained and equipped to do their jobs. We are also active in the 3+5 high-level platform that meets periodically to monitor progress of the Sustainability Compact action plan. Through future 3+5 discussion, we will continue to emphasise the urgency of taking forward remediation in factories.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to (a) alleviate the blockade of Yemen and (b) address the shortage of essential medicines in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter. This includes support to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to import essential medical supplies. From 27 April until 31 December 2015 UNHAS transported 9,547 kg of medical cargo on passenger flights. They also organised separate cargo flights to transport a total of 192 metric tons of medical and nutrition supplies. The UK also fund the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support critical relief projects, including the provision of emergency drugs and medical supplies.There is no blockade, although some restrictions have been put in place to prevent the flow of arms to Yemen. One of our top priorities now is working to help commercial shipping return to pre-conflict levels. This is why the UK is providing £1.42m of support to the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM). UNVIM will help speed up checks for commercial cargo, including food, fuel and medical supplies, entering Yemen and increase commercial confidence to get markets working again and lower very high commodity prices.

Yemen: Fuels

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to reduce fuel insecurity in  Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter.Yemen is highly dependent on commercial imports for essential fuel supplies. That is why one of our top priorities is working to help commercial shipping return to pre-conflict levels. We welcome the progress made on maritime access in recent months, but more needs to be done. DFID is providing £1.42m of support to the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) which will help speed up checks for commercial cargo, including fuel, entering Yemen and increase commercial confidence to get markets working again and lower very high commodity prices.

Yemen: Refugees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have left Yemen as refugees since March 2015.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Between March 2015 and 15 February 2016, the UN estimates that 171,585 people have arrived in Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Oman from Yemen, including Yemeni refugees and asylum-seekers, and people of other nationalities seeking protection.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK is taking to assist in the repair of hospitals damaged by air strikes in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter.The repair and rebuilding of infrastructure in Yemen will be a key part of any comprehensive recovery and reconstruction plan. We are already working with the Government of Yemen and the international community to promote thinking and planning for Yemen’s recovery. In the meantime, we are helping to meet emergency health care needs for the most vulnerable. Working through UNICEF, we provide health and nutrition services through hospitals and mobile clinics. The UK was also the largest donor to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Yemen Humanitarian Pooled Fund in 2015, with UK support providing over 40,000 people with emergency healthcare.

Yemen: Children

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding the Government has allocated specifically to child protection in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. This includes funding for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Save the Children to raise awareness of child rights, to monitor and support displaced children and to provide children with food, nutritional support, water and sanitation.

Yemen: International Assistance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage increased international donor support for Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the fourth largest donor to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter.We continue to call on other donors to step up. In July 2015 the Foreign and Development Secretaries wrote to international donors to raise the profile of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and encourage more funding to the response. In September, the Development Secretary co-hosted a meeting on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis at the UN General Assembly, at which donors (including the UK) pledged an additional £85 million.We will continue to encourage donors to give generously to the newly launched UN humanitarian appeal for 2016.

Yemen: Food

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to relieve food insecurity in (a) Taiz and (b) elsewhere in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. This includes funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) and International Non-Governmental Organisations who provide emergency food to over 570,000 people, either through direct delivery of food or providing cash or vouchers to enable people to buy food. These distributions are prioritised to the areas of greatest need including the hardest to reach districts of Taiz. Just last week, UK funding helped WFP to deliver a month’s supply of food to 21,000 people in Taiz. UK funding to UNICEF is also treating over 150,000 children for severe acute malnutrition and we are funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

Yemen: Influenza

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are being taken to address and prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter.The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that there have been 16 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus identified in Yemen in 2016, and that appropriate treatment has been given. The WHO and Ministry of Public Health continue to conduct Health Education awareness campaigns on the prevention and control of a number of epidemic diseases, including H1N1.

Syria: Refugees

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to assist vulnerable Syrian minorities register with the UNHCR who have not done so due to fear of persecution.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict. This is the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees. Any person claiming refugee status is able to avail themselves of UNHCR’s global protection mandate where UNHCR has a presence. They can directly approach UNHCR and register with them, or be referred to UNHCR by a third organisation, or UNHCR can ask them to register. The UK has allocated £115 million to UNHCR’s operations in Syria and the surrounding region, of which a proportion is used for registration.Over time, many previously unregistered refugees have sought UNHCR’s assistance and protection services as their resources have dwindled and coping mechanisms become stretched. Some minority groups may not see a need to register either due to their own resources or due to reliance on community/social networks.DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need.

Nigeria: Overseas Aid

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's spending was allocated to (a) Nigerian state organisations, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) the private sector in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Nick Hurd: No UK aid goes directly through Nigerian government systems. Our bilateral aid is delivered through commercial service providers (private sector), international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).The table below provides a breakdown of our payments over financial years 2012-13 to 2014-15. 2012/132013/142014/15Private Sector£145.724m£185.146m£156.147mInternational Organisations£31.905m£52.343m£40.505mNGOs£22.401m£28.498m£27.667m

HM Treasury

Treasury: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: This information is published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on their website http://www.ons.gov.uk. ONS figures include both the mean and median gender pay gaps for the Civil Service and HM Treasury. The ONS headline estimates are also calculated using hourly earnings excluding overtime.

Financial Services

Seema Kennedy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the financial sector and employer groups on workplace money management and workplace payroll savings schemes.

Harriett Baldwin: The government is committed to supporting savers, and government officials meet regularly with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals to discuss the role that payroll deduction can play in promoting workplace saving, particularly in relation to the credit union movement. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is funding a £38m project to enable participating credit unions to expand their services to many more consumers, including to employees via workplace payroll savings. DWP is also looking into providing payroll savings facilities for their staff who are members of a credit union.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the library a copy of the impact assessment of the carbon price floor mechanism.

Damian Hinds: An impact assessment for the Carbon Price Floor (CPF) was published in the March 2011 Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates (starting on p.141) which can be accessed via the following link, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110402/http:/cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_taxation_overview.pdf. A further impact assessment was published in a Tax and Information Impact Note in March 2014 and can be accessed via the following the link, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-price-floor-reform.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Pay

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 26025, for what reason Thea Rogers' salary increased from £69,250 in 2014 to £98,000 in 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: Like any employer HM Treasury does not comment on individual personnel matters. Special Advisor salaries are determined accurately to the responsibilities and seniority of each individual role.

Coal: Taxation

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has accrued to the public purse from the taxation of coal in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: It is not possible to disaggregate tax receipts by commodity therefore, a figure for the revenue accrued by the Exchequer from taxes levied on coal cannot be provided.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Redundancy Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit cap proposed in the Enterprise Bill on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Greg Hands: An impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government has been working with departments, including the Department of Energy and Climate Change, to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and on different categories of workers. The exit payment cap consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-public-sector-exit-payment-cap

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) meetings, (b) hospitality, (c) gifts and (d) overseas travel officials at Grade 7 or above in HM Revenue and Customs have received or undertaken in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16 to date.

Mr David Gauke: The information requested for points (a), (b) and (c) is not available. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not have a central register of all internal and external meetings. Moreover, the details of gifts and hospitality is not broken down by grade. On point (d), HMRC officials at Grade 7 and above undertook 1,557 overseas journeys by air or rail to 88 different destinations in 2014-15, and 709 journeys to 65 destinations in the first half of 2015-16.

Working Hours

Neil Coyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people who want to work full-time who are in part-time rather than full-time work.

Damian Hinds: The recent performance of the labour market speaks for itself, the unemployment rate is at a 10 year low and the employment rate is the highest since records began. Over the last year nearly 3 out of 4 jobs created have been full time jobs. Through Universal Credit and the National Living Wage we are ensuring it always pays to increase your hours, and our childcare offer of 30 hours means more families are able to do so.

Energy: VAT

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the revenue the Government received from VAT on domestic energy in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: This level of detail is not requested on VAT returns and therefore data is not available on how much VAT was raised on domestic energy in each of the last five years.

Tourism: VAT

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the revenue the Government received from VAT on hotel stays and restaurant meals in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: This level of detail is not requested on VAT returns and therefore data is not available on how much VAT was raised on hotel stays and restaurant meals in each of the last five years.

Double Taxation: Treaties

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has received from (i) businesses, (ii) members of the public and (iii) other stakeholders on new double taxation treaties since 2010.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs officials receive representations from, and undertake discussions on an ongoing basis with a variety of stakeholders, including companies, representative bodies, other government departments and NGOs. These representations and discussions inform the programme of tax treaty negotiations that are approved by Ministers and published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/double-taxation-agreements-developments-and-planned-negotiations.

Public Sector Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector net debt is forecast to fall in the next financial year.

Harriett Baldwin: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produce the forecast for public sector net debt. Based on the OBR’s November 2015 ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’, public sector net debt is expected to fall as a share of GDP in every year of the forecast period.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Carolyn Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to consult on the transposition of the fourth anti-money-laundering directive.

Harriett Baldwin: In June 2015, the fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (‘the Directive) was formally adopted. Member States have up until June 2017 to transpose the Directives requirements, into national law. With regards to the Government’s plans to consult on the transposition of the Directive, it intends to do so by early spring, with consultation running for a full 12 weeks. The consultation will cover areas where the Directive has given us options or direction on how we transpose its provisions, as well as areas where we can improve the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. By undertaking this work, we are further ensuring that our anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism regime is robust and sufficiently responsive to emerging threats.

Productivity

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) carried out on the structural factors in the economy that have contributed to the scale of the productivity gap.

Greg Hands: The Treasury has commissioned no external research on the productivity gap. The Treasury’s analysis is laid out in Annex A of the Productivity Plan, which was published in July 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf, pages 77-82). This draws on evidence from academics, the Bank of England and others.

Productivity

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the scale of the productivity gap.

Greg Hands: The government set out its understanding on the reasons for the productivity gap in Annex A of the Productivity Plan, published in July 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf, pages 77-82). A number of factors contribute to the UK’s lower level of productivity compared to the most productive countries in the world, including lower levels of investment, especially in research and development. There are a further set of explanations for the shortfall in performance post-crisis, including impaired resource allocation in the economy, the disproportionate impacts on some high productivity sectors, substitution of labour for capital, labour hoarding in the initial phase of the recession and measurement issues.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Electricity Generation: Carbon Sequestration

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that all new electricity generation facilities that emit greenhouse gases are prepared for carbon capture and storage.

Andrea Leadsom: Planning controls already ensure that new electricity generation facilities that emit greenhouse gases are prepared for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Currently most new thermal plants larger than 300 MWe must be constructed ‘carbon capture ready’, which means they must demonstrate that it would be technically and economically feasible to retrofit CCS. Any new coal plants must be constructed with CCS fitted to at least 300 MW of their proposed generating capacity.

Radioactive Waste: Storage

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the additional cost to the public purse will be of storage of additional spent fuel arising from the lifetime extension of nuclear reactors.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



EDF Energy has contracts with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for the management of AGR fuel. Under these contracts EDF Energy, not the public purse, pays the NDA for the storage of each tonne of AGR fuel that is loaded into the reactor, including for each tonne of fuel loaded during the lifetime extension of the AGR reactors.

Sellafield: Radioactive Waste

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether new storage facilities will be required at Sellafield to accommodate additional spent fuel arising from the life extension of nuclear reactors.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



No. The strategy of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is to complete the THORP reprocessing contracts it has with EDF Energy. In delivering the current strategy the NDA will have created sufficient space to receive and manage all the AGR fuel from EDF Energy’s AGR power stations, which avoids having to build additional storage capacity for AGR fuel.

Radioactive Waste

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what volume of additional spent fuel will be produced as a consequence of the life extension of nuclear reactors.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 24 February 2016



The additional amount of spent fuel arising from the recently announced lifetime extension of 4 AGR stations is anticipated to be in the range of 700-800 tU, based on the current rate of arisings of spent fuel from the AGR fleet.

Gas Fired Power Stations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will place in the Library copies of the impact assessments produced related to the moratorium on gas fired power stations between 1998 and 2000.

Andrea Leadsom: It has not been possible to find copies of any impact assessments related to the moratorium of gas-fired power generation which was introduced by the Government of the time (with a Department of Trade and Industry lead) to allow an analysis of whether the UK energy market was skewed against coal-fired electricity generation.

Electricity Interconnectors: Iceland

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what charges the Government plans to levy for connection to the National Grid on the proposed interconnector cable from Iceland.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a UK/Iceland taskforce to consider the potential for interconnection between the two countries. The taskforce is considering a high-level assessment of the costs and benefits and will make recommendations to Government in May as to whether to continue with a more detailed stage of discussions. This will include an assessment of the impact of the interconnector on system costs.

Sellafield: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Sellafield workforce reform initiative on workforce salary expenditure by Sellafield Ltd in (a) Copeland, (b) Allerdale, (c) Barrow-in-Furness and (d) Cumbria.

Andrea Leadsom: A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place at Sellafield to increase efficiency in the business. The changes will have a positive impact on the Cumbrian economies, through encouraging supply chain companies to locate in the area as part of the Sellafield Change Programme. Details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/.

Sellafield: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Sellafield workforce reform initiative on the economy of (a) Copeland, (b) Allerdale, (c) Barrow-in-Furness and (d) Cumbria.

Andrea Leadsom: A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place at Sellafield to increase efficiency in the business. The Sellafield Change Programme is deliberately focussed on developing the supply chain for Sellafield to maximise the positive impact on the community. Details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/.

Sellafield: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the Sellafield workforce reform initiative.

Andrea Leadsom: A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place at Sellafield to deliver savings. There is no additional cost to the public purse from implementing this model change. Details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/.

Sellafield

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will meet Sellafield workforce representatives to discuss how better to achieve (a) safer, (b) quicker and (c) more efficient decommissioning of the Sellafield site.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC Ministers engage regularly with a range of stakeholders, including in relation to the safe, secure and cost-effective decommissioning of the nuclear decommissioning estate.

Gas Fired Power Stations: Construction

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many gas fired power stations have been built in the UK since July 1998.

Andrea Leadsom: Since July 1998, 35 gas fired power stations (i.e. electricity generating installations with a capacity of 50 MW+) have opened in the UK. Source: Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES), Table 5.10

Sellafield: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of how the Sellafield workforce reform initiative will ensure (a) safer, (b) quicker and (c) more efficient delivery of decommissioning at Sellafield.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the objectives are of the Sellafield workforce reform initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential savings to the public purse arising from the Sellafield workforce reform initiative.

Andrea Leadsom: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a responsibility to UK tax payers to ensure that Sellafield Ltd has maximum opportunity for improved performance: accelerating hazard reduction and delivering value for money. A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place to help achieve that. The rationale for this model is set out in the Sellafield Model Change (SMC) Outline Business Case. Details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/.

Coal

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has made an estimate of the difference in value between coal produced in the UK and coal imported from overseas for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrea Leadsom: The table below gives the values of UK coal production and imports for 2010 to 2014. Data for 2015 will be available on 28 July 2016.  Coal production (£million)Coal imports (£million)Difference (£million)20101,0652,080-1,01520111,1753,050-1,87520129903,315-2,32520135353,235-2,70020144502,235-1,785 Source: Tables DUKES 1.4-1.6, Digest of UK Energy Statistics, July 2015, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-chapter-1-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukesv

Sellafield: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who was involved in designing the Sellafield Workforce Reform initiative.

Andrea Leadsom: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a responsibility to UK tax payers to ensure that Sellafield Ltd has maximum opportunity for improved performance: accelerating hazard reduction and delivering value for money. A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place to help achieve that. The Sellafield Change Programme is driven by Sellafield Ltd and is managed by its CEO and Executive. From April this year, Sellafield Ltd will report to the NDA Board on progress. Full details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Aviation

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information she plans to publish on the outcome of her Department's efforts to pursue civil penalties issued to aircraft operators for failure to surrender sufficient allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; what the expected timescale is for those proceedings; and whether any of the operators subject to those proceedings opened accounts for trading periods covering the period 2013 to 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: The Environment Agency administers the EU ETS in England. The Environment Agency will seek to recover unpaid penalties as civil debts in line with UK law. Details of penalties imposed are published in line with the Environment Agency’s Enforcement and Sanctions Guidance. The debt recovery process starts with pre-action conduct followed by proceedings if the penalties remain unpaid. The timescales for these proceedings will depend on the specific circumstances of each case. The aircraft operators, outstanding penalties, and account status are shown below. This information relates to corporate entities only as information on individuals cannot be released due to data protection laws. Registry account information is publicly available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ets/oha.do?languageCode=en. Aircraft Operator NameOutstanding penaltyRegistry accountAir India Limited£12,377.15Open accountLoid Global Ltd£42,217.95No accountMedia Consulting Services LLC£21,787.18Open accountOranto Petroleum£9,325.25No accountPrimevalue Trading Limited£9,749.13Open accountFL510-GMBH£25,347.73Open accountAmerican International Group£24,076.10Open accountTurkmanhovayollary£10,766.43Open accountHILL AIR CORPORATION£7,205.88Open accountJet Centre (trading as) The Private Jet Company£69,345.95Open accountMIG RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT£1,441.18No account21st Century Fox America, Inc.£1,508.95Open account

Fuel Poverty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to tackle fuel poverty in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Voluntary Work: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23331, what the average cost for each participant of the National Citizen Service has been in each year of its operation.

Mr Rob Wilson: Holding answer received on 22 February 2016



National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers value for money and the most recent independent evaluation demonstrated that for every £1 spent on NCS it generates up £3.98 of social benefits. The table below shows the average cost per NCS participant calculated as part of the published independent evaluation for each year of operation:Year Average cost per participant 2011£1,5532012£1,7002013£1,5702014£1,5382015Figures will be made available in the NCS 2015 evaluation report, which will be published in due course.

Average Earnings

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in employment earn (a) the national minimum wage rate which will apply from 1 April 2016 and (b) between that rate and one per cent above that rate.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - National Minimum Wage Rate
(PDF Document, 83.66 KB)

Combined Authorities: Statistics

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on devolving statistics and data collecting powers and obligations when powers are devolved to combined authorities.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what requirements are in place for (a) the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and (b) other government agencies to collect data on a regional basis; and what discussions he has had with the ONS to collect the provision of regional data.

Mr Rob Wilson: As was the case under previous administrations details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.The UK Statistics Authority’s strategy, Better Statistics Better Decisions, recognises the need for statistics to keep pace with a fast-changing world, including in the context of an increased emphasis on the devolution of decision-making powers to the nations, regions and cities of the UK.A list of regional statistics which the UK is required to provide under European Regulations, including the level of breakdown, is available online at http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/140934/4381644/Regional_statistics_overview.xls.While the Regulations require that any data used to produce these statistics be of sufficient quality, the regulations do not specify how data is obtained; this is a matter left to Member States to decide. Beyond those statistics included on this list, official statistics are broken down at different geographies, depending on needs and available data.

Death Certificates: Eating Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths were recorded for which an eating disorder was mentioned on the death certificate in (a) the UK and (b) England in each year since 2010-11.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths there were in (a) the UK and (b) England for which an eating disorder was the underlying cause of death for deaths registered in each year between 2010 and the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Sportsgrounds

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to all-weather football pitches at grassroots level.

David Evennett: In partnership with the Football Association and the Premier League, the government is continuing to invest significant sums in grassroots football facilities every year. In addition to the £10million we give to the Football Foundation each year, this Government has dedicated £8million per year to the new 'Parklife' project that will double the number of 3G pitches and enable over 3,500 community sports matches to be played per week.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of fibre-optic broadband coverage across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government's Superfast Broadband programme delivers superfast broadband - which delivers speeds of at least 24Mbps. Superfast broadband is available to nearly 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK, and we are on track to reach 95% by the end of 2017, as set out in our manifesto.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations his Department has received from internet service providers on the rollout of fibre-optic broadband; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I hold regular discussions with internet service providers on a wide range of issues. A number of communications infrastructure suppliers and service providers attended the recent not-spot summit on 3 February where they were given the opportunity to discuss the challenges for both mobile and superfast broadband coverage.

Gaming Machines

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representative bodies (a) his Department and (b) the Gambling Commission has met to discuss the next review of gaming machines stakes and prizes.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to launch the next triennial review of gaming machine stake and prize limits.

David Evennett: My officials and staff in the Gambling Commission meet a range of stakeholders and representative bodies at regular intervals to discuss gambling policy and regulation. Information on Ministers' meetings with external organisations are included in the quarterly transparency returns. The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015 on 21 January. The evaluation paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015 We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

Department of Health

Medical Records: Databases

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) his Department and (b) the NHS has been asked by security and intelligence agencies for care.data data sets.

George Freeman: We do not comment on security matters. The Department and the National Health Service takes protection of data very seriously. It is the role of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, a public body based in Leeds, to ensure that high quality information is used appropriately to improve patient care. The organisation has legal powers to collect and analyse information from all providers of NHS care. It is committed, and legally bound to the very highest standards of privacy, security and confidentiality to ensure that patient confidential information is protected at all times. Access to information is strictly controlled.

Paracetamol

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the health effects of over-use of paracetamol to treat colds and flu.

George Freeman: No such discussions have taken place.

Antidepressants: Pregnant Women

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on potential links between taking antidepressants in pregnancy and autism in children.

George Freeman: Studies looking at the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants in pregnancy have found conflicting results on a potential link with autism in children. The European Medicines Agency is evaluating any possible link between taking SSRIs in pregnancy and the risk of autism and related conditions in children. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will consult its expert advisory body as necessary as part of this review.

NHS: Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what rules govern the movement of senior NHS staff to private sector organisations.

Ben Gummer: There are no central rules governing the movement of senior National Health Service staff into the private sector although local contracts may include restrictions aimed at preventing staff exploiting their knowledge of the NHS for commercial advantage.

NHS Trusts: Managers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trust chief executives have become private sector consultants after leaving that post.

Ben Gummer: We do not hold information on the employment of chief executives after they have left the National Health Service.

Carers: Fees and Charges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusions of the report by the Carers Trust, A charge on caring, published in September 2015, that an increasing number of local councils are considering charging carers for the support that they receive to help them in their caring role.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2015 to Question 13008.

General Practitioners

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans are in place to alleviate the increased demands on neighbouring GP practices when a practice closes.

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what obligations NHS England has to provide patients access to a GP practice.

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures NHS England uses to assess GP service provision to an area.

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines have been issued to GP practices on the safe ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices.

Alistair Burt: NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers. To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area. There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.

General Practitioners

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP surgeries have closed in (a) Sheffield, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in the last three years.

Alistair Burt: Comprehensive data is not held centrally. Practices may close for a variety of reasons, including mergers with neighbouring practices or the retirement of general practitioners from single-handed practices.

Department of Health: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of his Department's invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

Jane Ellison: Whilst the Department holds information in respect of contracts and supplier type it would require a full search through all supplier records to satisfy the full detail of the request which would incur a disproportionate cost. However, the Department does publish quarterly information on prompt payments to our suppliers (within 5, 10 and 30 days) on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-prompt-payment-of-suppliers-data Also, the Department publishes information relating to SME procurement expenditure in line with government policy and the latest financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 are available on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-spend-with-smes-2014-to-2015

Smoking

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in the public health grant for local authorities on local smoking cessation services in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities, funded by the Government’s public health grant, have responsibility for providing a programme of tobacco control that meets the needs of their populations, including the provision of locally commissioned services. Over the next five years, local authorities will receive £16 billion through the public health grant. The evidence shows that specialist stop smoking services are the most effective way to help smokers quit. Public Health England supports local authorities by developing and distributing information and advice for the commissioning of effective regional approaches to tobacco control which maximise value for money at a local level.

Cancer: Smoking

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to address inequalities in cancer incidence across England resulting from smoking.

Jane Ellison: We know that smoking causes over a quarter of cancer deaths in the United Kingdom and that these deaths disproportionally occur in the poorest areas and most vulnerable populations. The Government has committed to publishing a new tobacco control plan to further reduce the prevalence of smoking in England. Addressing the health inequality caused by smoking will be one of the key priorities underpinning this strategy and we are working with partners across the system to embed locally, the success we have had reducing prevalence nationally.

Tobacco

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the independent cancer taskforce, Achieving world class cancer outcomes: A strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what progress has been made in developing a new tobacco control strategy.

Jane Ellison: The development of a new tobacco control plan for England is currently in progress and will be published later this year. The recommendations of the Independent Cancer Taskforce will be considered alongside this work.

Cancer: Screening

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the independent cancer taskforce, Achieving world class cancer outcomes: A strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what progress NHS England has made in putting a mandate in place to ensure that GPs have direct access to key investigative tests for suspected cancers.

Jane Ellison: The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s five-year strategy Achieving World-class Cancer Outcomes A Strategy for England 2015-2020 recommends improvements across the cancer pathway, including improved access to investigative testing. We have already announced funding of up to £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the new target that patients will be given a definitive cancer diagnosis, or the all clear, within 28 days of being referred by a general practitioner (GP). The NHS National Cancer Director has set up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Suspected cancer: recognition and referral guideline which was published in June 2015 includes recommendations regarding when GPs should refer patients for direct access investigative tests. NHS England expects clinical commissioning groups to enable GPs to follow the guideline.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what record his Department maintains on morale amongst A&E staff.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold such a record. The data on the 2015 National Health Service staff survey results can be found here: http://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/Page/1010/Home/NHS-Staff-Survey-2015/ This is broken down at trust level but not by speciality. The NHS staff survey includes questions focusing on topics such as the level of staff satisfaction with resourcing and support, percentage of staff suffering work related stress in last 12 months and staff motivation at work.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 11 February 2016, Official Report, column 1763, on junior doctors' contracts, which senior NHS leaders asked him to proceed with the introduction of a new contract for junior doctors.

Ben Gummer: Sir David Dalton’s letter to my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 10 February has been published. In that letter, Sir David advised the Government “to do whatever it deems necessary to end uncertainty for the service and to make sure that a new contract is in place which is as close as possible to the final position put forward to the BMA yesterday. I can confirm that this position is supported by both the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, together with support from Chief Executives across the country, and their names are supplied.”

Junior Doctors: Pay

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average change in the level of pay for those junior doctors who will be offered pay protection as part of the transition to a new contract.

Ben Gummer: Over three quarters of junior doctors moving on to the new contract pay terms in August 2016 are expected to experience a rise in earnings. Those that do not will receive pay protection.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what risk assessment was carried out on his policy to impose a new contract on junior doctors.

Ben Gummer: Sir David Dalton, who led recent negotiations on behalf of the National Health Service, advised my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health that the offer made to the British Medical Association (BMA) was developed with the input of a senior reference group of NHS leaders and shared with a wider group of senior NHS leaders, all of whom agreed it to be fair and reasonable for doctors in training and for the service. In negotiations, agreement had been secured with the BMA on approximately 90% of the issues discussed. Sir David’s letter advised the government “to do whatever it deems necessary to end uncertainty for the service and to make sure that a new contract is in place which is as close as possible to the final position put forward to the BMA”.

Junior Doctors: Disclosure of Information

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on junior doctors who whistleblow about safety concerns in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: The Department supports National Health Service staff who wish to raise concerns and is implementing a range of measures to support the development of a culture in which staff are able to raise concerns without fear of repercussion or reprisal. The Department has made clear to NHS organisations that they should have policies and procedures to support and encourage staff to raise concerns, and that those concerns should be acted upon.Junior doctors are protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, as they are employees of the NHS trusts at which they are based.Junior doctors along with other NHS staff will benefit from a national network of Freedom to Speak Up ‘local guardians,’ led by the National Guardian Dame Eileen Sills, who was appointed on 7 January 2016.The National Guardian will lead, advise, and support the ‘local guardians’ in carrying out investigations on how concerns are being handled, share good practice, report on national or common themes, and identify any barriers that are preventing the NHS from having a truly safe and open culture.In addition we are also introducing a new Guardian of safe working appointed jointly with junior doctors.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NICE to begin assessing (a) drugs for rare cancer and (b) cancer drugs under the proposed new Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have jointly consulted on draft proposals on the future direction of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The consultation closed on 11 February 2016 and the responses received are being analysed and will inform the new way of working for the Fund. A consultation report will be published on NHS England’s website in due course. NICE is working closely with NHS England to support the new way of working for the CDF. NICE’s Board is expected to consider the proposed process and methods for the Fund at its next meeting in March.

Mental Health Act 1983

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the closest living relative definition in the Mental Health Act 1983 to include unmarried fathers once their children are aged 18.

Alistair Burt: One of the aims set out in the Green Paper, No voice unheard, no right ignored – a consultation for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions, published in March 2015, is to ensure people’s ‘nearest relative’ under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) is someone who is meaningful to them. We have no plans to specifically change the nearest relative definition in the MHA to include unmarried fathers once their children are aged over 18 years. This will ensure that people are able to choose their own ‘nearest relative’, who has specific legal responsibilities under the MHA. The current MHA definition of the nearest relative will be updated to be used as a default if necessary, when the person is unable to make a choice for some reason.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the NHS England plans to publish its consultation on the future of mental health support for veterans of the armed forces, referred to in the NHS England Mental Health Taskforce.

Alistair Burt: NHS England published its consultation on Developing the mental health services for veterans in England on 25 January 2016.

Eating Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many first admission episodes there were with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder in (a) England and (b) the UK in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) each month in 2015-16 for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: The Department is responsible for health and care in England only. Responsibility and therefore data relating to the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The following table shows the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) for England with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder for the whole year April 2014 to March 2015 and provisional data by month from April to October 2015.  Month of AdmissionFAE*2014-15 total2,876April 2015238May 2015230June 2015220July 2015204August 2015166September 2015176October 2015179* FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many staff in the Government Equalities Office receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Caroline Dinenage: No staff receive the above allowances in the Government Equalities Office.

Girlguiding UK

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will meet Girlguiding to discuss the findings of its 2015 Girls' Attitudes survey.

Caroline Dinenage: The Girlguiding’s Attitude Surveys provide an invaluable picture of the concerns and priorities of young women and the Government Equalities Office maintains an excellent relationship with the organisation. The 2015 survey demonstrates that many girls perceive barriers to reaching their full potential. The Government is encouraging girls to broaden their aspirations, educating young people about respectful relationships through the teen relationship abuse campaign, and equipping parents to talk confidently with their children about important issues through the Parentinfo website.